The Final Stand
by PengyChan
Summary: Ron doesn't use his MMP at the end of "Graduation", and Lowardians get away swearing to come back and get revenge. Sometimes even sworn enemies must stand together against an upcoming threat – but can they really make it without killing each other first?
1. So not the end

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kim Possible.

_A/N: I probably shoud have resisted this plot bunny, but I just couldn't. Hey, I'm a sucker for heroes/villains team-ups and I often wondered what would have happened if Ron hadn't managed to use his Mystical Monkey Power at the end of Graduation, so...how could I resist?  
This chapter is mostly a prologue, and the first few lines are a retelling of a scene near the end of Graduation - I'll start twisting things right after those._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"Okay, this was real," Kim said as both her and Ron landed beside Shego "but I've got to graduate before some other disaster strikes."

"And stick us with clean-up duty?" Shego asked, the expression on her face clearly telling her that there was just no way in hell that would happen.

Kim didn't seem to get it. "Please and thank you."

"No. Nooo way!" There was a moment of silence as Kim gave her the infamous puppy dog pout, then Shego sighed. "Aghh... just go!" she snapped, and she was about to add that she was going to make Drakken clean up that mess since that stupid flowers were _his_ anyway when something – someone, actually – suddenly hit her and sent her slamming against a rock, knocking her out.

Both Kim and Ron gasped as they turned to face Warhok – how had he gotten free? Then again, Lowardians seemed to have an incredible strength. Why hadn't they thought about it?

"Did you think that the most fierce warrior in the galaxy could be defeated by flowers and children?" the alien warrior growled as he tore what was left of Drakken's flowers and vines from himself.

_Children? Hey, wait a minute…!_

"I am not a child," Ron protested "check your calendar, it's graduation day!" he exclaimed, charging at Warhok – which was actually a pretty stupid thing to do, but thinking before acting was something he didn't usually do after all.

He did however realize that maybe, just _maybe_ he should have thought better as the warrior punched him with inhuman strength, causing him to slam back against Kim before landing face down on the ground. Ow, that hurt…!

He groaned as he looked up, and he froze as he saw Warhok picking up Kim. Yes, he should _definitely_ have thought better, but any thought about how stupid he had actually been was overcome by a sudden wave of anger as he was the alien warrior holding up Kim's unconscious body to Warmonga, saying something about what a nice trophy she would make.

Hate was not a feeling Ron Stoppable was used to feel, and the intensity of the hatred he felt now for that guy almost burned in his chest. If he only _dared_ to hurt her in any way –

"Hey, tough guy!"

Ron blinked and raised his gaze to see Drakken hovering right above the Lowardians, a wide grin on his face – it was the same grin he had everytime he had been certain he was about to finally take over the world…and Ron really hoped he _would_ succeed this time.

Warmonga frowned, looking up at him – she hadn't forgotten the way he had lied to her – then she sneered. "Any last word, earthling?"

"Just two," Drakken said almost casually "_get them!_"

Both aliens gave a surprised gasp as the vines once again wrapped around them, tying them tightly and holding them up, forcing Warhok to let go of Kim. Ron immediately rushed by her said to check if she were alright, and he gave a sigh of relief as she looked up at him.

"You're heavy, you know," Kim said with a small smirk, and Ron grinned sheepishly as he helped her back on her feet.

"You fool – you can't stop us like this," Warhok snarled as he managed to break an arm free…but other vines immediately replaced the torn ones, holding it tightly.

"Oh, really?" Drakken's grin was so wide that his cheeks just _had_ to hurt, but he seemed to be having the time of his life – what the heck, for the first time his plan had worked…and no, he didn't really want to think he was actually saving the world instead of taking it over. "Yes, you can tore the flowers – but I can summon others, and it costs no effort to _me_. Wanna see who gets tired first?" he gave his best evil laughter, and Kim had to admit it did sound impressing…or maybe it was just because he had the upper hand for once.

Warhok's eyes were nothing but narrow slits of pure malevolence as he looked up at the blue skinned man. "Alright," he said, breaking his arm free and quickly pressing a button hidden on his glove before other vines tied his arm again "you might have won this battle, earthlings – but you won't win the war!"

A low rumble filled the air as a small spaceship landed next to the two Lowardians, cutting the vines that kept them tied. Drakken yelped, too surprised to immediately make his flowers get them again, and his brief hesitation was all the two aliens needed to get inside. "We'll be back, and we'll have our revenge – for Lowardia!" Warmonga yelled just a moment before the door shut and the ship departed, leaving a long trail of smoke behind.

"Well," Shego said, causing both Kim and Ron to wince – none of them had noticed she had woken up "looks like we got rid of them."

"But they said they would be back," Drakken objected with a slightly worried expression as his hovercraft landed.

Kim just shrugged. "They always said that anyway."

"Did you deal with alien warriors before, Princess?"

"Well, no. But I've dealt with people like that for years – you should know," she said with a grin "no…how about graduating, Ron?"

"Yeah, good idea," Ron powered up the rockets on his space suit and held out his hand "care for a lift?"

"I never pass up a lift," Kim turned to Drakken and Shego "I'll let people know you helped," she said, a moment before her and Ron flew off.

"Hey, wait!" Drakken yelled after them "I 'helped'? I did most of the job here! Why must you always…" he paused and blinked "wait. Is she going to tell around I helped saving the world?"

Shego shrugged. "Yeah, it sounds like it."

"Oh," he frowned "is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Well, a bad thing for a reputation as a villain," she said, barely suppressing a grimace at the thought – it looked like she was about to be considered a heroine _again_, and the thought irked her: it had taken her years to get rid of that title. And man, should _Hego_ hear about it…! She shuddered.

"Aw, snaps," Drakken dropped his shoulders. Once Dementor knew that, he would never, _ever_ hear the end of it.

"On the other hand, it won't be _that_ bad getting some recognition," she said casually, shrugging "you'll probably get a prize, or a medal or something."

His expression brightened up considerably at the thought. "Sure! And the whole world will know I'm a genius!"

Shego rolled her eyes. "Something like that."

"Perfect!" Drakken puffed out his chest with a proud and somewhat goofy smile "to get my prize then…! Aw, _c'mon_! Not now!" he whined as petals popped out from his neck. Would that ever stop?

"Uh, Dr. D?"

"What?"

She just raised an eyebrow and pointed to the ruins and destroyed pods around them, mostly covered with flowers. "You're forgetting the clean-up duty."

Drakken's face fell. "_What? _But that's not fair! Why do we have to do that?"

"We don't have to do it – _you_ have to do it," Shego just said, sitting on the nearest flat surface – it wasn't like being slammed against a rock had been fun after all, and she ached "you did this mess after all."

He gritted his teeth and for a moment he looked like he was about to explode, then his expression suddenly changed into an almost excited one. "Do you think I could make the flowers do that for me?"

* * *

**Two weeks later**

"You guys do realize this was supposed to be the best summer of our lives, right?" Ron repeated for the eleventh time as they got inside the Global Justice Headquarters. Alright, the whole 'secret organization' thing was cool and everything, but it lost much of its coolness when you are forced to get onto some GJ jet in the middle of the night – especially when it means leaving the tropical paradise when you're spending the best summer of your life with your girlfriend right after graduating.

"There are no holidays when the world's safety is on stake," Dr. Director's collected voice greeted them from the other side of the room. She was standing in front of a large screen, her eyes – well, her only eye – staring at the datas streaming on the screen.

Ron grinned sheepishly. "Uh…alright, that's true, I was just…eheh…"

"What's the sitch?" Kim simply asked as if she were simply speaking with Wade.

Dr. Director sighed heavily. "I'm afraid the world is about to face the greatest threat it ever faced, and since you are familiar with…oh, here they are – it will spare me the effort of explaining everything twice," she said, looking at someone behind them – and it didn't take them much guesswork to understand who it was as soon as they heard a familiar whining.

"…and waking me up like that was just rude," Drakken complained at the agent that was escorting him as he and Shego walked inside "I mean, you could have at least called and warn! Would you like to have people in uniform walking in your bedroom when you're sleeping? I will have nightmares for _weeks_…"

"Oh, knock it off, Dr. D," Shego sighed as she turned to look at Kim "for some reason I'm not surprised to see you here, Kimmie. What's happening now?"

"My guess is as good as yours," Kim replied, glancing back at Dr. Director "why are we all here anyway?"

The woman simply gestured them to walk closer to the screen. "You've been gathered here because we're going to need all the help we can get to face this threat – not to mention that you are the only people on Earth that fought that menace once already and managed to defeat it."

Aw, crap, Ron thought. "You're _not_ talking about the tall green aliens, right?"

"The Lowardians? Yes, it's about them I'm talking about," Dr. Director said, causing everyone to groan.

"So they _were_ serious when they said they would be back," Shego said, glaring at Kim.

"Bad guys _always_ say that when defeated," she said "how could I knew they were being serious?"

"Knowing that before wouldn't have made much difference – we've been fearing their return since the beginning, and our fears turned out to be justified."

"But there hasn't been any attack yet, has it? I mean, the world would know it already," Kim pointed out.

Dr. Director shook her head. "No, there hasn't been any attack yet. They sent a message," she said, typing something on a keyboard "here."

Drakken had opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it without uttering one single word as Warhok's face appeared on the screen, his voice filling the room. Rufus briefly popped out from Ron's pocket, but a glance to the screen was enough to make him shudder and get back in.

"Greetings, earthlings – it's General Warhok of planet Lowardia who's speaking," he said almost solemnly "did you honestly think that primitive people like you could actually defeat a race of warriors?"

"Primitive? Hey, that was totally uncalled for!" Ron protested, but the glares everybody gave him were enough to make him shut up.

"I must admit you surprised me," Warhok went on "I wouldn't have expected a such resistance – I underestimated the enemy, and that's a mistake a warrior should never do. Therefore, I have to fix that mistake," he grinned "with the technology at our disposal, it would take nothing to blow your planet into bits…"

"How nice," Kim rolled her eyes "I bet he's going to say it would be too easy or something."

"But it would be too easy–"

"Predictable," Shego muttered.

"…my people always considered war as an art, as every race of warrior does – that's how we solve out problems, and that's how we'll solve _this_ problem as well. What you witnessed was nothing compared to what we can do – nothing! As I speak, a powerful Lowardian army is being gathered and prepared for war. You might have taken down two warriors and a few pods…"

"A _few_ pods?" Drakken exclaimed "a _few_?"

"…but I'm really curious to see how you'll handle a whole Lowardian army. Fight with all you have, earthlings – but that won't save you from extinction," his laugher echoed in the room as his image began to fade "enjoy your last weeks."

There was a long silence as he finally faded from the screen. Not that it was surprising – none of them had expected him to invite them to his place for tea and cookies – but still…

"Okay," Kim finally said "that didn't sound good at all."

"Oh, _really_?" Shego said sarcastically before turning to Dr. Director "what do you exactly expect us to do against a whole _army_? Shouldn't you be gathering all the men you have at your disposal and alerting the whole word?"

"You are the only ones that fought against Lowardians and won, and as I said we will need all the help we can get. We are alerting all the governments already, and all countries will be immediately preparing their armies – but that could not be enough. There are physically much stronger than a human being…"

"Tell me about it," Ron muttered, wincing as he remembered the blow Warhok had given him during their last confrontation.

"…and their technology is superior to ours – we only have their pods and what's left of their space ship, but that's not enough to see if it has any weak point we can use at our advantage. I can't even imagine how devastating their weapons can be."

"Well, the pods were vulnerable to my flower power," Drakken pointed out "it could work again."

"I doubt it would. If they are going to use pods again, we're sure they will make sure to make them stronger and invulnerable to your…flowers," Dr. Director said, causing the hopeful grin on his face to vanish "war is all about getting rid of anything that could be a weakness, and if they are half of the warriors they seem to be they will definitely do so."

Kim groaned, massaging her temples – yeah, that was much worse than anything she has ever faced before. "How about civilians? Why doesn't anyone know everything at all?"

"We can't afford causing panic if we're not ready to deal with it," she said "the world's population will be alerted as soon as the shields will be ready."

"Shields?"

"Force fields," Dr. Director replied, "we're not sure they would be enough against Lowardian weapons, but it's the best we ca do. We'll use them to shield all the big cities all over the world when the moment comes, and we'll tell people to move there until the emergency is over…one way or another," she added grimly.

"We're doomed," Ron whimpered, and judging from Drakken's terrified expression it looked like he agree with his statement.

"Okay, let's not get too pessimistic here," Kim said, trying to fight back the small stab or nervousness in her stomach.

"Pessimistic? Princess, this is about being _realistic_," Shego stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey, I've seen worse."

Shego raised and eyebrow.

"Alright, this is a tad worse than usual, but…well…"

"If we keep thinking we are doomed since the beginning, we won't be able to put up much of a fight," Dr. Director came to her aid "from what the Lowardian said, we still have at least a couple of weeks to get ready. It's not much but the humanity's survival depends on –"

"You look troubled…" a familiar voice coming from the screen cut her off "_…Betty_."

She winced and immediately turned to see Gemini's face grinning at her from the very same screen were Warhok had been until minutes before. "Sheldon!" she exclaimed, her only eye narrowing "how did you get in our system?"

The man chuckled darkly, absentmindedly petting a rather nervous chiwawa cradled in his arms. "Oh, it was really easy – your security really needs some work," he said before turning his attention to the others "I see you already gathered your little anti-alien squad," he said, then he frowned "I must say I'm rather disappointed, Dr. Drakken – I really wouldn't have thought you would have joined Global Justice –" he trailed off as the chiwawa yelped at his words "no, no, Pepe, it's alright…"

Drakken cringed just a little – well, he did feel somewhat uncomfortable when someone reminded him he had, technically speaking, been working for _good_. "I didn't join it, I just…uhu…"

"What do you _want_, Sheldon?" Dr. Director barked, leaning forward to the screen as if she wished to get through it to get her hands on her twin brother.

Gemini straightened himself. "To offer our cooperation against a common threat, of course – do you really think I wouldn't see that video on your system?" he asked with a sneer, causing his sister to grit her teeth.

"This is none of your business!"

"Oh, really? In case you haven't noticed, I _live_ on this planet! You should just be glad you _older brother_ is offering cooperation rather than taking the matter in his own hands!"

"You only did so because you know you can't fight them by yourself, and you want to take part on this just because you don't want me to do it myself! You always wanted to get in the way of everything I did!"

"So what? I'm older than you!"

"You're just _jealous_! Just like that time you got angry because I got a new bike…"

Kim groaned. "Here they go again," she muttered.

Shego blinked. "Does it happen often?"

"Pretty much every time they meet," Ron said. Rufus popped out of his pocket and nodded.

"Oh, wonderful. And here I thought Dr. D was an overgrown kid…"

"Shego!"

"Just one thing," Kim said before they could start arguing – she was starting to get a terrible headache, and she really didn't feel like listening to another bantering, "why did Gemini say 'our cooperation'?"

"I think I could explain this point to you while Gemini is…otherwise occupied," a collected voice said behind them. They turned to see Senior Senior Sr. looking down at them from another screen…and not just him, Kim was surprised to notice: behind the old man stood Professor Dementor, Duff Killigan, Motor Ed and…Frugal Lucre?

"I get the feeling I'm on the wrong side of the screen," Drakken said quietly to Shego, and she could just nod. Yeah, she definitely felt like she was on the wrong side as well.

"Dr. Drakken!" Frugal Lucre exclaimed excitedly, stepping forward and waving "look at me – I joined the WEE! I'm a great villain now!" he exclaimed, causing Killigan and Motor Ed to snicker – both of them knew he had been allowed to join the WEE because he had promised to bring Gemini's dog out for a walk every day for the next ten years or so.

Dementor simply snorted. "I can't see vhy you admire zat guy – he's one of ze _heroes_," he said with a clear trace of disgust in his voice.

"Hey, at least one of _my_ plans had success!"

"A plan to _save_ ze vorld," Dementor remarked.

"Professor Dementor, Doctor Drakken," Senior Senior Sr. said politely "would you kindly take your…discussion somewhere else? Thank you," he said as Dementor rushed somewhere off screen. Moments later another screen in the GJ Headquarters turned on – just how many screens were there? – and Dementor's face appeared on it.

Shego sighed as Drakken immediately ran to that screen to keep yelling at his rival. "And then he whines because I say he's an overgrown kid…" she mumbled, and Ron snickered.

"So," Kim turned back to Senior Senior Sr, trying to ignore the bantering that was going on between Dr. Director and Gemini and the way Drakken and Dementor kept screaming at each other "care to explain what is going on?"

"Of course," he nodded slightly "as Gemini said, we offer out cooperation against this common threat."

Kim blinked. "Seriously?"

"Seriously!" from the other side of the screen, Motor Ed raised his thumb "hey there, cousin! How are you doing, babe?" he asked to Shego. She simply lit up her hand, and for once he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

"Well, none of us is willing to let aliens take over the world or worse before we get a chance to do so. It wouldn't be the first time you work with a villain for a common goal," he said, glancing at Shego – Drakken was out of his sight.

"Wow, a massive team-up?" Ron exclaimed, "cool!"

"So...all of you are ready to help?" Kim asked again, as if to make sure she had grasped the concept.

"Och, we live on this planet too, lassie," Killigan grumbled from behind the old man.

"Yes, we are. Dementor put a condition though – he says he wants his own battlesuit."

Ron rolled her eyes. "We should have known," he muttered.

Kim thought for a few moments, then she nodded – after all, they all were on the same boat…and as Dr. Director had said, they needed all the help they could get. She was pretty sure she would agree as soon as she got away from her brother and had a chance to calm down, she thought as she saw her still rambling at her evil twin.

"Alright, he will have his battlesuit if that's what he wants," she finally said – someone had to take decisions while Dr. Director was…busy, after all "anything else?"

"Yes – if we have cooperate and get ready for this fight, think we all would work better in a place that doesn't belong either to GJ or WEE. A neutral zone, if you will."

"Do you have some place in mind already?" Shego asked. She hoped the old man had more sense when choosing a place than he had showed for his son's education. She frowned a little when she noticed Junior wasn't there, but she shrugged and turned her attention back to Senior Senior Senior.

"I do have a very large lair not very far from here, and it won't be a problem to bring there anything we may need," he said "I'll send you the coordinates immediately – we could risk being intercepted if we discuss everything this way for too long. We could meet there as soon as possible to discuss the details."

Kim hesitated just for a moment, and she glanced briefly to Shego.

"You don't have much of a choice, Kimmie."

"I agree with her," Ron said "and we're going to need an awful _lot_ of help."

Kim sighed, then she turned back to the screen and nodded. "It looks like we have a deal," she said "send the coordinates right away, and take away Gemini and Dementor away from those screens. I think we're going to need both Dr. Director and Drakken back."


	2. The deal

__

A/N: wow, a quick update XD But hey, don't get used to it. I wasn't supposed to update this soon really, but I got flu and therefore a LOT of spare time I really didn't know what I should do with…so yeah, I ended up typing a few sentences that eventually turned into a full chapter. It's almost scary how easily this one wrote itself.

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"You must have gone insane, Possible – there is no way, _no way_ Global justice is going to join forces with _him_!" Dr. Director repeated for the millionth time, causing Kim to groan a little. She had expected it to be difficult, but it felt ridiculously like trying to convince a child to eat broccoli now…and she apparently was the only one who was still trying, for Shego seemed too busy filing her nails and Drakken and Ron had been playing something oddly similar to Truth or Dare for the past twenty minutes.

"A little help would be appreciated, you know," she said, glaring at Shego, who just shrugged.

"It's just too fun watching you trying, Princess."

Kim growled and turned back to the head of GJ. "Dr. Director, it is just a meeting to decide if join forces or not. I know this is something none of us would do under normal circumstances, but the Lowardians…"

"We can deal with them – I know we can," she said against all reason "the only reason why Gemini offered this alliance is to show–"

"We _don't care _about his reason," Shego, who had followed Kim's various attempts with mild amusement, finally spoke up – she seemed to have gotten tired as well "look, I know what it is like having an annoying brother. I have _four_ of them, and they would drive anyone insane. But this is not about you and your twin, this is about our _planet_ – that, if we don't do _something_, is going bye-bye. And if you and your organization are going to just let it happen because he broke your doll when you were five, I'm _out_ of here. At least they are showing some more freaking _sense_ on the other side."

Her words seemed to have hit a nerve, for Dr. Director froze; there was a long silence as she and Shego glared at each other. Kim stared at Shego as if she had never seen her before, and Drakken and Ron – who actually hadn't followed most of the argument before Shego's speech – were looking at both Dr. Director and Shego, as if waiting to see who of them would explode first.

"I bet Shego would win," Drakken muttered under his breath.

"You have never seen Dr. Director in action, dude."

"But I _have_ seen Shego when she's pissed."

"Yeah, it would be a tough fight…"

"_Fine,"_ Dr. Director's voice was so cold that it caused them both to cringe. She turned to an agent that had been standing nearby, barely daring to breathe. "Get a jet ready as soon as you can. Ten of out best agents are coming with us," she said, walking past him and outside the control room.

"Wow," Kim blinked, turning to look at Shego "_that_ was risky."

"Well, if we were to wait for _you_ to convince her, we would have all died in here," Shego raised an eyebrow "I hope she isn't always like that."

"Not at all – only when Gemini is involved. Do you really think they have more sense on the other side?" she asked sceptically.

"I have no idea, but it looks like there's no other way out than joining forces…if there's one at all. Evacuating the planed seems like another possibilities, but I doubt we could do so…"

"Do you really think they could help?" Ron asked, looking rather sceptical as well "I mean, Kim always beat them…they don't have the best track records."

"Well, Kimmie always beat Dr. D as well," Shego pointed out "but he turned out to be the one who had the right idea eventually."

"Shego…!" Drakken began to protest, but he immediately trailed off "…uh? Not being snarky?"

"Don't get used to it," Shego said quickly, turning back to Kim "alright, Frugal Lucre is about as useful as sunscreen in a rainy day and I really can't think what the heck do they think Killigan would be able to do against aliens besides throwing them explosives – but Senior Senior Sr. has plenty of resources, Gemini is the leader of a powerful organization who can give us support, that idiot of Motor Ed is pretty good with mechanical stuff and Dementor knows what he does – _yes_, Dr. D, he _does. _I mean, his doomsday devices usually work, and if this time you two goodies don't blow it up before we can use it…"

"I CAN build doomsday devices too!" Drakken protested "and I have the Flower Power," he added hopefully, apparently forgetting it would most likely be ineffective against upgraded Lowardian weapons.

"Hey, that's perfect," Ron said "you could work with him! The more doomsday devices we get, the bett…uh?" he blinked as Drakken took a step back as if he had just suggested him to jump in a shark-infested pole.

"Me? Working with _him_? Never!" he exclaimed, causing Kim to groan – here we go again, she thought.

Shego, however, narrowed her eyes – she didn't seem to have enough patience less to listen to anyone else's complaints. "Dr. D, our planet could be completely destroyed in a matter of weeks, and this makes me _nervous_," she lifted her hand "and you know what makes me even more nervous?" she lit up her hand, causing Drakken to cringe and step back "when people keep whining and whining and _whining_ rather than just doing what needs to be –"

"Alrigh, _alright_!" Drakken almost shrieked, folding his arms a lousy attempt to not let anyone see how scared he was "I'll _try_ to tolerate him, okay?"

The plasma on Shego's hand disappeared. "Good Doc," she said mockingly, and Kim could have sworn that just for a moment her smirk had almost turned into a genuine smile. _Almost_.

"Denial," she mumbled to herself, remembering what Warhok had said two weeks before. _Not just a river…_

"Did you say something, KP?"

"Nothing," Kim said, a sly grin still on her lips "nothing important."

Ron was about to insist, but he was interrupted as door opened again. "The jet is ready," a GJ agent announced "follow me."

* * *

"…and so I told them 'stay away, no one will tame my mane!' – they wanted to cut my mullet, seriously!"

"Och, how horrible," Killigan muttered sarcastically. He was already in a foul mood since when that blasted pod had landed on his island and devastated his golf field a couple of weeks before, and now spending the past thirty minutes listening at his ramblings about his mullet really didn't help. But after all, none of the people he was currently stuck with was precisely someone he would have spent more time than necessary with…and he couldn't help but groan at the thought that Team Possible would be joining them soon.

Should he ever survive the war, his sanity probably wouldn't.

Motor Ed didn't seem to notice the utter lack of enthusiasm in his voice. "Yeah, that's why I decided to leave the job and turned to crime" he jumped on the nearest table, pretending to be playing a guitar "_Oooooh, yeaaah_…!"

"Did ye _really_ turn to crime because of that?"

"Are you deaf? They wanted to cut my _mullet_, dude!" Motor Ed repeated as if he were talking about eating children or something "you just can't get what it means because you're bald, seriously," he added, causing Killigan to growl at adjust the tam on his head. There was a part of him that still wondered what had driven him to be part of that, other than his rage for his ruined golf field – he really doubted that bunch of nutcases could do anything against a threat like that, and they were _annoying_.

"Ye know, lad, the only reason why I haven't yet smashed a golf club in that thick head of yers –"

"Mr. Killigan, please – we are all on the same boat now," Senior Senior Sr. almost chided him, waving his cane a little tiredly – keeping them from jumping at each other's throats was definitely a difficult task "shouldn't we try to behave life civilized people?"

"Och, go tell Dementor and blue boy," Killigan said with a shrug – Dementor had been ranting and raving about how better he was than Drakken for hour and hours after they had dragged him away from that screen, and now he had thankfully left the main room to get some hot chocolate…or maybe he simply was too tired to argue anymore with Frugal Lucre, who seemed to think of Drakken as some kind of God of Evil (or just some kind of god, considering that he seemed to have quit evil business) "they're going to get each other killed before tomorrow, I tell ye."

"Yeah, and what about Gemini and that GJ babe?" Motor Ed snickered "by the way, did it get through his skull that he wouldn't get the highest seat during the meeting?"

The old man sighed inwardly. Convincing Gemini that no, no one would be sitting higher than the others during that meeting – and that even if someone had it wouldn't be _him_ – had been one of the toughest tasks in his life. And it had taken a while for him to get that that _wasn't_ the WEE headquarter, no matter how many of his agents he had brought with him.

"Hopefully it did," he said, taking a mental note to make him and the head of GJ sit on the opposite sides of the table…them, and Drakken and Dementor. He'd rather not have the meeting turning into a fight after less than twelve seconds.

"Aye, that lad behaves like he owned the place," Killigan grunted "and if I hear that darn dog yelping one more time, I'll know what will it be my next moving target with these new golf balls…"

"Now, now, we shouldn't take our frustration out on an innocent –"

The old man was cut off by the sound of a door slamming closed. "Innocent? Innocent?" Frugal Lucre said almost hysterically, and the reason was pretty clear to everybody as they saw his torn shirt "that's a monster, that's what…!"

"Lemme guess – you said 'Global Justice' in front of it," Motor Ed shook his head "seriously, dude, you should have known better…"

"I only _mentioned_ it, and it went insane, and – aw, c'mon, that thing never bites when it's with Gemini!"

Killigan shrugged. "Och, that dog never bites – it just yelps. Maybe it doesn't like ye."

Frugal Lucre folded his arms. "W…well, and I don't like _him_!"

"A little late for that, dude. It was you that insisted to join us," Motor Ed pointed out, barely hiding his amusement "taking it out is part of your duties, seriously."

"How could I know that dog was completely– " he began, but he trailed off and swallowed as a shadow suddenly loomed over him.

"Were you saying something about my Pepe?" Gemini asked smoothly, a worrying clicking sound coming from his mechanical hand. Frugal Lucre swallowed and looked up to the others, and the grinning expression on everyone's face was enough to tell him clearly what he had to do.

_Run._

Senior Senior Sr. sighed wearily as he watched the poor man shrieking and running around, his arms flailing above his head as he desperately tried to avoid the small missiles coming from Gemini's hand, and he felt slightly disgusted upon seeing that both Killigan and Motor Ed were apparently having the time of their lives at the poor man's expenses. He was about to say something when a sudden beeping sound came from the radar, causing everyone to freeze.

A flying object was approaching the lair.

* * *

The flight had been by far the most tense Kim could recall, only occasionally animated by some stupid bantering between Ron and Drakken – but those would only last a few moments, since a glare from Dr. Director was more than enough to make them shut up and slump back in the seats. She seemed in a terrible mood, and it wasn't difficult to understand why. Thankfully the flight was almost over.

"She really didn't like the idea of joining forces with Gemini at all," Kim observed, more to say something than for actual need to point it out.

"Can't blame her. I would be ten times worse if I had to work with any of my brothers," she grumbled a little at the thought.

"But at least they didn't create an organization just to bug you."

"No, they are smart enough to stay out of my business. That Gemini guy really needs some therapy."

"Tell me about it," Ron piped in "he kidnapped me just because he knew GJ was studying the Ron factor – but hey, at least he offered me lunch. Speaking of lunch –"

"Here we are," the pilot spoke, cutting him off. They all glanced outside to see nothing but mountains beneath.

"Uh…there's nothing here," Kim pointed out.

"Affirmative – but the coordinates are correct."

Dr. Director clenched her fists. "It could be a trap. Gemini isn't above that."

That was something that, given the overall situation, Kim hadn't really thought about. "Well…" she began, but she paused as Senior Senior Sr.'s voice came from the radio.

"Welcome to my humble lair," he said as, beneath them, one of the mountains just _split_, showing a landing spot "the WEE agents will escort you to the meeting as soon as you land, and I can promise you that no harm will be done to any of you."

"We have your word?" Kim asked with a small grin – that was _so_ like SSS.

"Of course you do," the old man said almost solemnly before the radio shut off.

"Can we trust him on that?" Dr. Director asked, looking rather impressed – the _whole_ mountain was nothing but a huge hidden lair! How could _that_ have escaped to GJ?

"Yes," Kim, Ron, Drakken and Shego replied simultaneously "we can trust him on that."

* * *

"This is _awkward_," Ron said quietly as he and Kim sat on the large table under their traditional enemies' hostile glares. Well, it wasn't like they could expect them to be friendly after all.

"Definitely," Kim replied, though slightly relieved to see that at least Gemini and Dr. Director were ignoring each other for now, aside for a the challenging looks the occasionally exchanged. Much to Shego's relief, Drakken and Dementor didn't seem about to start bantering again – but that was mostly because Drakken was too busy trying to make Frugal Lucre shut up – he loved being praised, but that was just too much even for him. Well, at least that would keep him for feeling embarrassed by the little detail that he had _saved_ the world rather than taking it over when he could. Most villains hadn't seemed too happy about his 'betrayal'.

"So, uhu…" Kim finally said to Senior Senior Sr. – he probably was the only on there she could have a civil conversation with at the moment "what's the sitch?"

"How about an alien invasion?" Shego said sarcastically before turning to the old man herself "alright, here we are. What's the plan?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot say we have a proper plan _yet_," Senior Senior Sr. said "we have no idea of how and when they will attack, nor we can know how many they will be and what kind of technology they will use…"

"Long story short, we know nothing, lass" Killigan grumbled from the other side of the table.

"They only thing we know for certain is that it will be a difficult war to win, and that this is a threat for everyone on Earth. In any case, we'd be stronger united rather than separated," Senior stated matter-of-factly "I'd suggest to start concentrating on the information we have on the enemy."

"Well, they're strong," Kim said, fully knowing that nothing of what she was about to say would be reassuring "much stronger than average human, and hard to damage. They are expert soldiers, and their technology is much more advanced than ours."

"Yeah, princess, I think everyone noticed _that_…"

"Oh, nonsense! If zeir technology is so great, vhy vas it destroyed by zat loser's _daisies_?" Dementor snapped, causing Drakken to grit his teeth.

"It's Flower Power!"

"It's ridiculous!"

"Nnhg, at least I –" he began, but Shego quickly put her hand over his mouth.

"That technology was advanced enough take control of Earth in about the same time you would need to order a _pizza_," she said, looking at Dementor "and I doubt _you_ managed to take any of those down," she said sharply, causing Dementor to cringe a little – she had clearly hit a nerve.

Drakken grinned a little sheepishly, both pleased by his rival's obvious embarrass and surprised by how Shego had…_kinda_ defended him.

"Five points for the green babe!" Motor head cheered, holding up his hand "high-five, babe!" Shego glared daggers at him, and he after a few seconds he put down his hand. "Okay, okay, not now – when you feel like it I'm here, seriously!"

"Och, I have taken one of those down," Killigan said proudly, puffing out his chest "they're weak at the junctures, that's all – ye just need to aim well and be quick…"

"We know the pods' weak points now," Dr. Director said, purposely avoiding to look at Gemini as if to make it clear it wasn't with _him_ that she was discussing "it is a start. We'll have out scientists working on it – we have what is left of their spaceship, and the more information we have about their weapons, the better it is…but they probably have stronger weapons than the one we witnessed in action, so I'm afraid wouldn't help much."

"Vat about ze material ze pods and ship are made of?" Dementor asked.

"Unknown. It's completely different from any material we have on earth, and incredibly resistant."

"We could try to find something that material is damaged by," Kim suggested "there _has_ to be something that material is weak to."

"True," Gemini nodded, speaking for the first time "the material they use for their weapons is unknown to us…but so is ours to _them_. If we can find a way to damage the very material their weapons are made of, we would have a great advantage."

"I agree," Senior said "the weapons we have proved to be inefficient against the first attack. We need new, more effective weapons…yes, Mr. Lurman?" he asked as Frugal Lucre raised his hand – did he think he was at school or something?

"That sounds terribly expensive," he said, causing everyone around the table to groan "couldn't we find a way to chase them away without expensive weapons? I read a book –"

"Aye, _sure_," Killigan said sarcastically "who needs weapons to chase away a bunch of nice lads who just want to exterminate humanity? Och, I bet that they'll go away if we just hold hands and think of nice things…"

"But –"

"Mr. Killigan is right, I'm afraid – besides, the budget definitely won't be a problem. Dr. Director," Senior said, turning to her "would you kindly pass over the information your scientists gathered on the pods to Doctor Drakken and Professor Dementor so they could start working on a good weapon as soon as possible?"

"_WHAT?!" _Thee people screamed simultaneously the same thing – Drakken, Dementor and Dr. Director.

"I'm not working with _him_! He would mess everything up, and…I'm the genius here!"

"I refuse to vork vit zat buffoon! He couldn't built a decent doomsday device to save his life…!"

"I absolutely refuse to share the any information Global Justice gathered –" she trailed off as the chiwawa in Gemini's arms began to yelp pitifully.

"No, no, Pepe, it's alright, Betty just said a bad word…" Gemini tired to calm him down, causing Killigan, Drakken and Motor Ed to muffle a snicker "you know it upsets him! You did it on purpose!" he said accusingly at his sister.

She gritted her teeth, but she thankfully didn't get into another argument. "As I was saying, I am NOT going to share any of the information we gathered with _you_."

"Hey, I thought you would have showed me at least!" Drakken protested, sounding much like a kid who had been forbidden to play with his favourite toy.

"See? You _are_ one of ze heroes!" Dementor exclaimed accusingly.

"I'm not a hero! I am a bad guy!"

"A bad guy who saved ze volrd and works vit ze good guys!"

"But it was an emergency – and you _all_ are going to save the world now anyway!"

That caused Dementor to stop and think for a few moment. "Uhu…"

Motor Ed laughed. "Way to go, cousin!"

"Five additional points to blue boy," Killigan said, grinning at Dementor "ye're going down, lad…"

"Excuse me," Senior Senior Sr. said, getting back everyone's attention "I'd suggest taking your personal debates outside. The point now," he added, turning to Dr. Director "is that if there is someone in this room with enough experience and competence to create a powerful weapon to use against the Lowardians, it's Doctor Drakken – who actually was the one who found out how to destroy the pods, correct me if I'm wrong – and Professor Dementor. Mr. Edward Lipsky's mechanical skills aren't a mystery to anyone either, and his assistance would be invaluable. But to do so and, possibly, help saving out planed, we're going to need all the information you can give us, like it or not. In any case," Senior added "your agents and scientists will be more than welcome help and keep tabs on everything that happens here, if that makes you feel safer."

As much as she didn't like to admit it, Kim knew the old man was telling the truth. "I agree with him – it's not like we have any other way out," she said reasonably.

Dr, Director shot another glare to Gemini, who immediately returned it, but she eventually nodded. "Alright, we have a deal – for now. We'll be cooperating, but every weapon that is assembled in here must be built under strict surveillance. We can't let you built weapons that could be used for evil purposes once the emergency is over."

"Understandable enough," Senior said with a nod, and Kim was once again relieved that it had been the old man that had eventually taken control of the negotiations rather than Gemini "it looks like we have a deal then…"

"Vait!" Dementor suddenly exclaimed, looking at Kim "where is my battlesuit? You had promised zat I vould get one!"

Kim sighed. "Wade's working on it – you'll have you battlesuit by the end of the week," she said, taking a mental note to contact Wade and get him there as well. She was going to need his adice…and possibly his company. Unlike most people in that room, at least he was _sane_…and she actually trusted him.

"A battlesuit? And what are you going to do with that if you work in a lab?" Drakken teased him "besides, it would never be as great as Flower Pow – nghff!" he gave a muffled noise as Shego put her hand on his mouth again.

"Don't push it too far, Dr.D."

"And five more points for the green babe," Motor Ed said quietly, causing Killigan to snicker and Shego to growl.

"As I were saying before Professor Dementor rudely interrupted me, we have a deal," Senior said "all our conjoined operations will take place in this lair, which will be always open to anyone, either form WEE or GJ agents…plus all of us, of course. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded. "We have a deal…for now," Dr. Director said icily, briefly glaring at her brother.

"Uh…just one thing," Ron, who had been silent most of the time, finally spoke "is there any other idea other than building weapons? Not that they aren't cool – they are even cooler when they're not pointed against me, really, it's just…" he paused, his expression darkening slightly as he remembered the hatred he had felt when Warhok had stood in front of him holding up Kim's unconscious body, saying something about what a good trophy she would make. She had really been horribly close to death, maybe even closer than she had ever been, and if it hadn't been for Drakken…well, Kim could have actually died. It wasn't the first time she risked that much, but this time had almost happened right in front of his eyes, and he was too weak to save her himself. The idea caused a cold shiver to run down his spine. She could have died because of his weakness.

"Och, of course we'll be using weapons, laddie," Duff Killigan said with a shrug "what else could we be using? Daisies?"

"Hey, those worked last time!" Drakken whined, but no one was listening to him.

"Well…" Ron hesitated. The Lowardians actually were dangerous – probably the most dangerous challenge they had ever faced: there had been only two of them with a few pods last time, and weapons hadn't served any purpose. Would simple weapons, no matter how powerful, be enough to protect the whole planed from a whole army of alien warriors with their technology? Would weapons be enough to protect them all? And if not…was there really something more powerful than any weapon or technology?

Ron sighed, already knowing the answer and not liking it one bit. "Have you ever heard of the Power of Yono?"

He was not surprised to see how everyone was looking at him, as if wondering what the heck was talking about – it wasn't like he expected them to know what the Yono was after all. On the other hand, Kim knew it all too well. "Excuse us for a moment," she said quickly as she grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him away from the table "we'll be right back, okay?"

"Fraulein, zat is a _closet_," Dementor pointed out as Kim opened the closest door and pushed Ron inside.

"It will be fine," she just replied before closing the door behind her and turning to her boyfriend in the narrow space. "Ron, are you _kidding_?"

"Uhu, I think not?" Ron said with an uneasy grin.

"You _think_?"

"Okay, I'm kinda sure I'm being serious."

Kim sighed, massaging her temples. "Ron, it's Monkey Fist we're talking about…"

"Not really. Technically, now he's the Yono."

"Even worse. That guy is completely insane, and he has a power that is beyond scary now – you have seen it!"

"That's the point!" Ron exclaimed "with a power like that, I bet he would give the Lowardians the beating of their lives!"

"Ron, what makes you think he would cooperate with us?"

"Hey, they are threatening the whole planet after all, and if he wants to take it over he will have to protect it from them…I guess."

"Then he would proceed destroying _both_ us and then the Lowardians before taking it over himself," Kim pointed out "and we aren't even sure that his power would be enough against a whole army of Lowardians."

"We could always give it a try," Ron insisted "I mean, you heard Warhok – he basically told us we're on for extinction! And I'm too young to die, and the world hasn't even tried the new extra-naco that will come out next month…this is an emergency!"

Kim sighed. "Alright, fine – let's pretend that I'm going to agree and that we'll dig him up and awaken him somehow. How can we make sure he won't turn against us the instant he is free?"

"Well…" Ron thought for a moment, then his expression brightened up "we'll bring Hana! C'mon, the old Yono couldn't even hit her, and she defeated Monkey Fist just like that!" he snapped his fingers as if to prove his point "and she even got better, you know. I bet she could do that again if necessary, Yono or not. She just needs…well, music! And if she beats him again, he turns back into stone. He wouldn't take the risk – he might be crazy, but I don't think he likes being a big rock."

Kim blinked. "You want to _blackmail_ him into helping us?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Something like that."

She hesitated. Ron did have a point, that WAS an emergency and they needed all the help they could possibly gather, yet… "I'm not sure it would be a good idea. He would surely try to fight us one way or another once the emergency is over." But so could any other villain that would be working with them, she thought. Even Drakken with his Flower Power could be a menace.

"Yeah, but Hana can defeat him again – _we_ can defeat him again," he said, and Kim would have given anything to feel as certain as he sounded now "but getting rid of the aliens is our priority now, right?"

Kim sighed. Yes, it was right – defending Earth from the Lowardians was their priority. And if they had to choose for the lesser of two evils…well, Monkey Fist would be aiming for world domination while Lowardians aimed for its _destruction_. "I guess you have a point – let's tell the others about it," she said, opening the closet's door "I only hope we won't regret this."

* * *

Kim had almost expected everyone to start laughing as they explained exactly what the power of Yono was and what had happened to Monkey Fist – none of them had ever held any interest or belief in magic, after all – but much to her astonishment they only seemed mildly surprised…as if they had heard that tale already.

"So, that wasn't just some statue she had made – it was really him," Shego said, blinking "and here I thought she had had one too many drinks…"

"Uhu?" now it was Kim's turn to be confused "what are you talking about?"

"During Drakken's UN ceremony," Senior said, and everyone briefly glared at the blue skinned scientist – Dementor even stuck out his tongue to him, and Drakken returned – "Ms. Hall was dragging along a stone statue that looked just like Lord Fiske. I asked her what was its purpose, of course – and she told me a rather curious tale about how his monkey ninjas had showed up and made her follow them in Japan, where she had found the statue. She insisted that it was really him being turned into stone by some curse, but I thought she had just been a suggestion…" he paused "now that I think about it, I have tried to contact Lord Fiske for this meeting, but I received no answer from him…"

"Och, are ye really telling me that monkey boy was turned into stone for tinkering with magical monkey rubbish?" Killigan asked – he did remember seeing DNAmy with that statue as well, but he hadn't given it much thought. It wasn't like he had ever shared more than a few occasional words with that lass anyway.

"Uh…yeah, that's pretty much what happened."

"The point is," Kim said "that, according to what we have been told, he should have an amazing power once released from his stone state. If we were to use that potential against the Lowardians…well, I'm sure it would help a great deal."

"But he could turn against us as well," Dr. Director pointed out, causing Gemini to grin.

"Are you scared, Betty?" he mocked her "you couldn't even sleep if there wasn't a light on, if I recall correctly…"

"Enough!" Dr. Director shouted "Possible, I want you to find Monkey Fist and bring him here – then we'll decide what to do."

"We also need to see if there is a way to get him back," Shego said reasonably "don't know about you, but monkey magic isn't my thing, and I doubt we could make him get back in flesh clapping our hands or something."

Kim bit her lower lip. "We could take a look at his castle – maybe we'll find something useful."

"You don't seem convinced, Kimmie."

"Hey, it's the only way I can think of. If we find nothing at his place, we might have to travel to Japan."

"Then you two better try at his castle today, we could have less time left than we thought. The GJ jet is at your disposal," Dr. Director said.

"I'll make sure the way is clear for it to depart any time," Senior assured "someone will have tale him back from Ms. Hall as well."

Ron shrugged. "Well, at least we don't have to travel to Japan to get him back – she probably keeps him at her place," her said, shuddering a little at the thought.

"And it could be an occasion to ask her to join us," Drakken said "she _did _manage to create a vicious and bloodthirsty monster once, and another one of those could help…" he winced a little as he recalled how that particular scheme had ended up. He almost expected Shego to bring it up and tease him, but she didn't.

"Good idea," Senior agreed "who's going?"

"Och, my dirigible is ready to go," Killigan said– he had the distinct feeling that it wouldn't take much to Drakken and Dementor – and if not them, it would be Gemini and Dr. Director – to get again into their endless bantering, and he really didn't feel like staying to listen. Besides, if he was going to spend most of his days in that lair from that moment on, he wouldn't have minded some fresh air until he could. What the heck, there wasn't even a golf course in there! Two pools, and not one single golf course! The Seniors really didn't know what was important in life. "I just need the coordinates."

"I'll send the to you navigator immediately. So, while Shego and Miss Possible will be looking in his castle for a way to awaken him, you–" Senior began, but he was immediately cut off.

"Wait," Dr. Director said, holding up her hands "I'm not letting a criminal retrieving a…potentially dangerous weapon by himself. Stoppable, you're going with him."

Ron's jaw dropped. "Uhu? Why me?"

"Because you seem to be the most familiar with this…Yono thing, and because Possible already is off to look for anything that could help turning Monkey Fist back to normal," she simply said "any problem?" she added, her only eye narrowing dangerously. It was clear she was having a rough time dealing with all that, and the last time she could accept was having someone questioning her orders in front of Gemini.

Ron swallowed and glanced at Kim, who just shrugged. "Your idea," she mouthed silently.

"Okay," Ron finally said with a sigh "I'm going with Duff….but we'll have to stop by my home to get, uhu…something," he didn't really feel like explaining the weapon they were counting on to control Monkey Fist actually was his baby sister. Of course, he would tell them eventually…when they got back with Hana. _That_ would be his way of telling them.

"No problem, laddie," Killigan just shrugged "it won't take much."

"Perfect," Senior said, pressing a button in front of his seat and glancing at the radar "the way is clear for your dirigible, Mr. Killigan – good luck. As for you, Doctor Drakken, Professor Dementor and Mr. Lipsky will show you the lab…"


	3. The awakening

_A/N: yes, I know I told you to not get used to quick updates – I lied. So sue me XD_

…_okay, enough with being stupid – there IS a real reason why I updated today. So, yeah…happy birthday to _**VampireNaomi**!_ Okay, I know it's kind of lame compared to the awesome illustrations you got, but you know I really can't do anything but writing _:P  
_Thanks a lot for being such an amazing writer, I hope you'll enjoy the read ^^  
Oh, I almost forgot - it was _**VampireNaomi **_to come up with "Lucy" as DNAmy's 'dogster-thing' name in her fanfic_ "The Monkey's Valet" _(which I highly recommend you to read). I simply borrowed it._

_BTW, this is going to be the last update until the end of the month - December is a darn busy month. I hope to get another chapter done before the New Year though. Merry Christmas to everyone ^^_

* * *

"This is going to take forever and a day, Kimmie," Shego muttered as she threw another book behind her, onto a pile of discarded books "we'll still be here by the time Lowardians strike."

"Hey, it's not my fault if you offered your assistance," Kim replied, throwing away another book – man, was there _anything_ that guy had ever been interested into other than monkeys, archaeology and martial arts?

"I didn't _offer_ to do anything – it was you Dr. Big Boss to decide we would come here."

"You could have refused."

"It wasn't the case – she was this close from exploding," Shego reminded her, observing another few books on the shelf "hey, look – 'Primate Psychology'. How about borrowing it for your boyfriend? I bet Monkey Fist wouldn't mind."

Kim scowled. "You know, I was about to suggest you to borrow it for _your _boyfriend…"

"I told you already, there's _nothing_ between me and Dr. D!"

"Oh, but I never mentioned _him_," Kim said innocently, absentmindedly flipping the pages of another book – a collection of Shakespearean sonnets, she was mildly surprised to see. Well, now _that_ was unexpected, she thought as she put the book back on the shelf with some more care than she had showed to the others.

Shego growled a little. "I just thought of him because…well, I was just wondering how much will it take for him to do something stupid while he's stuck with Dementor," she said, causing Kim to smirk a little – but she didn't speak. There would be plenty of time to tease her later after all: now they had more important matters to take care of.

"Well, they're both grown adults – they should manage to get along if forced," she said.

Shego just raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I said they _should_, " Kim said almost defensively. She sighed as she turned back to the library: it was awfully cold and dark and dusty – how could anyone willingly live alone in a place like that was beyond her – and pretty much every flat surface was covered with the books she and Shego had taken from the shelves. Really, it looked like Monkey Fist had spent every single free moment of his life _reading_.

"There's nothing here," she said, brushing the dust away from her shirt.

"Yeah, it shouldn't surprise us – who would keep a monkey formula to awaken some ancient monkey weapon in their library?" Shego said with a shrug "he probably kept the important stuff somewhere else."

"Right," Kim bit her lower lip and looked around, then she began lightly hitting every single brick on the wall in front of her.

Shego blinked. "Oookay…should I call the ambulance now, Princess? They would bring you in a _niiice_ white place, where –"

Kim rolled her eyes. "Ron told me there are secret rooms and passages in this castle," she said, still hitting every brick she could reach "maybe he kept his most important items in one of those…"

"Makes sense, I guess – Monkey Fist was just paranoid like that," Shego observed, but she didn't move to help Kim with her search "why don't just ask your computer genius to scan the whole place?" she said leaning against a bookshelf "it would make it quick-- hey!" she let out a surprised gasp as the shelf she had been leaning onto slid aside, causing her to lose her support and stumble on the ground.

Kim, who was just about to turn on her Kimmunicator, smiled as she saw the large gaping hole behind the place where the bookshelf had been just moments before. "Good idea," she said, putting the Kimmunicator away and walking past Shego hidden door "but _this_ was even quicker."

Shego got up on her feet and gave a low growl before following her into the dark hidden room.

* * *

Drakken had never been one to be speechless – he was always rambling or simply complaining about something, rarely keeping his mouth shut. But when he _did_…that could only mean he was witnessing something amazing to his eyes.

"This is…this…woah…!" he sputtered, walking in the middle of the lab and spinning to see it all. Man, it was huge! And he had never seen a better-equipped lab. He had no idea of why the Seniors would need a lab in their lair – he highly doubted the old man was much into such things, and Junior _definitely_ wasn't – but right now he definitely didn't care. Upcoming alien invasion or not, he was in heaven.

"Never seen a decent lab?" Dementor taunted him.

"Oh, _shut up_!" Drakken snapped, barely turning to look at him before focusing his attention on the instruments once again – terribly _expensive_ instruments, Frugal Lucre would have pointed out, but who the heck cared?

"Looking for a vay to make it explode before lunch?"

"Ngrrh, won't you just drop it?"

"I'm just being _realistic_," Dementor remarked, "who's ze one zat had to use ze timeshare lair ze most?"

"That wasn't his fault, that was because Kim Possible always interfered," Frugal Lucre – what in the world was he supposed to be doing in the lab anyway? – defended him.

"Zat is just because he's stupid enough to come up vit some idiotic plan each veek!" Dementor pointed out "at least, I take time to make sure the plan vorks before I act!"

"Yeah, and you _always_ got defeated anyway," Drakken grinned at him "while _one_ of my plans actually worked!"

"And it vas a plan to save ze vorld!"

"Whatever, it still worked! And how about the Diablo scheme last year? That _almost_ worked!"

"Ja, almost – too bad it _failed_!"

Drakken gritted his teeth. "Well, and I…uh…I have the Flower Power!" he said, folding his arms.

"And I'll soon get ze battlesuit – you'll see vho's better!"

A few steps behind them, Motor Ed sighed. "It ain't gonna be easy working with them, seriously," he muttered.

Beside him, Frugal Lucre blinked. "Are they always like that?"

"Since kindergarten, I think."

"They went to _kindergarten_ together?"

"Well, I think not. But if they did it would have been just like that, seriously."

* * *

"…and you really managed to take it down by yourself?" Ron asked, closing his backpack with small sigh – there wasn't really anything to eat, and he was _hungry_. He half-considered complaining aloud, but he quickly changed his mind: last time he had been speaking about food with Duff Killigan he had been forced to eat sheep's lungs cooked in its own stomach, and he wasn't eager at all to repeat the experience. Okay, it wasn't like he could cook there, but what if he had leftovers there on the dirigible? He better not take risks.

"Och, sure I did," Killigan boasted, leaning more comfortably on the seat – driving the dirigible was something he just didn't bother doing, making Ron fervently hope there would be no obstacles in their way "as I said, ye just need to have a good aim and know where to hit. That thing made it in time to devastate my golf course though," he grumbled.

"Yeah, I know what it's like – one of those destroyed Bueno Nacho," Ron sniffled a little, patting Killigan's shoulder "it still hurts."

"Uh-hu, hurts," Rufus nodded from his shoulder.

Killigan honestly had no idea of what a Bueno Nacho was, but he just shrugged. "Aye, we'll kick their butt for that too," he simply said, pulling down his tam on his eyes and leaning back again.

"Uh, dude?"

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping, what else?"

"Well, you may consider…like…driving?" Ron suggested nervously, glancing outside – he didn't like it at all how close that mountain was.

"Och, there's the automatic pilot on. Do ye think I'm dumb or what?"

Ron gave a silent sigh of relief. "No, no, absolutely not," he said a little too quickly.

"Good. Now sit back and enjoy the trip, laddie – we still have another half an hour."

"Alright, fine…" he glance out of the dirigible "but isn't that mountain _too_ close?"

"…"

"Duff? C'mon, dude, stop kidding! No one can fall asleep this quickly!"

A slight snoring coming from Killigan's seat was the only reply he got. Ron sighed and slumped back in his seat. "Okay, fine. You can."

* * *

"This is creepy," was all Shego said as she looked around in the desert room. At the light of the torches, the stone monkeys on the walls were almost scary. Almost.

"Yeah, that pretty much describes Monkey Fist too," Kim said, pointing the torch to the table in the middle of the room. Scrolls, papers and ancient looking books were scattered on the whole surface, and Kim groaned inwardly as she took a look to the closest scroll "little problem – I can't understand one single word."

"What did you expect, Princess, some paper written in English with a nice 'how to awake a mystical monkey thing' headline?"

"It would have been useful," Kim muttered, but she frowned a little as her attention was caught by a familiar symbol on the nearest scroll – it seemed the same one Ron had described, shining on Monkey Fist's hand right before he was turned into stone. "Wait," she said, holding up the scroll "maybe we've got something."

"Great – then I'll suggest to pick up all this stuff," she gestured to the table "and get out of here – this place gives me the creeps."

"That makes two of us," Kim said, collecting the various scrolls and books "GJ will find someone who can read this stuff anyway."

"I bet Gemini and Dr. Director will start a contest to see who finds someone to read this crap first," Shego said dryly, and Kim smirked a little – yes, that was definitely what she expected them to do.

"Okay, we're done here," she just said as they walked out of the secret room "I hope Ron and Killigan won't have trouble retrieving Monkey Fist. DNAmy might not want to let him go so easily."

"I bet there won't be trouble once she'll know she's joining us anyway. Besides, she'll be delighted to know we're about to bring him back."

Her words caused Kim to frown slightly. "I wonder if it is such a good idea."

Shego shrugged. "Yeah, me too – he won't be really happy to wake up to find DNAmy ready to jump on him…"

"That's not what I meant. He can be dangerous – you would know if you ever witnessed what kind of power he has now."

"Hey, it was your idea. And this IS an emergency, right?"

Kim sighed. "Yeah. A big one."

* * *

"Alright laddie, this is enough. I'm not getting anywhere close to _that_," Killigan made a face as he looked at the house on the other side of the road.

"C'mon, dude, it's not that bad…if you don't mind the pink curtains. And pink doorbell. And the flowers and birdies. And the fact it basically looks like it comes straight from some fairytale," Ron weakly tried to convince him.

The golfer snorted. "Och, laddie, I have a _reputation_ to maintain. I can't have people seeing me in a place like that," he protested.

"Aw, c'mon, you can't make me go there by myself!" Ron said, causing Killigan to blink.

"Ye act like she were really dangerous, lad," he said, surprised. He had only met DNAmy in few occasions and almost never exchanged more than a few words with her, and she definitely didn't strike him as even vaguely 'dangerous'.

"Hey, she _is_! I bet there's plenty of wrongsick creatures in there, and last time I got in her lair –"

"That's hardly a _lair_," Killigan pointed out, grimacing as he noticed that even the _doormat_ was pink.

"Whatever. Last time I got in her place Rufus was turned into some mole man," he said, and from his pocket, Rufus whimpered, "I'm not going there by myself dude. Forget it."

"Och, I'm not here to baby-sit ye," Killigan said, turning back to walk in his dirigible "I'll be waiting in my dirigible. And monkey boy can stay there anyway for what I care…"

"Yeah, but if we don't get him back the planet might be doomed," Ron tried again "and you won't get to kick alien butt for ruining your golf course," he added.

Killigan stopped in his tracks, and Ron knew he had hit a nerve. "Besides, no one's here to see us," he said quickly "and it's not like we're here because we want to anyway. It's a mission, dude, and you don't always get to go into nice places when you're on a mission. But think of how cool it will be when they'll get kicked away from the planet!"

The golfer hesitated another moment, glancing in distaste at DNAmy's house. "Aye, ye have a point, laddie," he finally said, turning and walking towards the house "alright, we just get in, get monkey boy, tell her what's going on and _leave_."

"Bringing her with us," Ron reminded him "they said she could-- aaahhh, monkeys!" he shrieked, jumping upon the closest person – Killigan, of course.

"What the…get off me!" he roared, dumping Ron on the ground and turning to the monkeys that were looking down at them, perched on a tree "it's just monkey boy's pets!"

"Oh…right. I still have a few monkey issues sometimes. But I'm working on it," Ron grinned a little sheepishly as he got up. He should have expected the monkey ninjas to be near their master – according to what Senior Senior Sr. had said, it had been them to show DNAmy where to look for Monkey Fist after all, he thought as he quickly followed Killigan to the door. If it weren't for his monkey issues, he might have been almost moved by their devotion to Monkey Fist.

"Ye go first, lad," Killigan said, stepping aside to let Ron ring the pink doorbell.

"Coming!" DNAmy sing-sang right before opening the door, and her cheerful expression quickly turned into a puzzled one as she saw Ron – she definitely hadn't expected him to drop by.

"Uh…hi there," Ron waved "it's a nice day to save the world, isn't it?"

"Save the world?" she asked "oh, but I'm not doing anything nasty. I'm just baking cookies – want some?"

Ron's stomach grumbled at the thought. "Er…yeah, I see," he said "scratch what I said, that comes later. Right now we just…wait, did you say cookies?"

"With chocolate chips – just baked!" DNAmy chirped, taking a step back to let him in.

"Sounds great…ouch!" Ron yelped as Killigan elbowed his ribs.

"Cut the crap, laddie, we're here for monkey boy," he snapped, impatient to get away from there before anyone could see him in that place "and ye need to come with us too, lass. We'll tell ye –"

"Aww, a kilt! That's so adorable!" she cut him off, looking absolutely delighted.

Killigan gritted his teeth before bellowing. "It's not a dress! It's a –" he trailed off, blinking "wait a minute..."

"Hey, she got it right," Ron said, sounding surprised himself.

"Of course, silly," Amy giggled "who would mistake a kilt for a dress?"

"Well, a lot of people do. Right, Duff? Duff? Hey, dude, are you listening?"

"Er..." Killigan was still staring at her, a little taken aback by how she _hadn't_ mistaken his kilt for a dress and _didn't_ think it was ridiculous or something like most people – and was it just him, or she was standing _too_ close? "Aye, right. Most people think it's a skirt," he grumbled a little as he remembered those…brats he had met during the whole Project Centurion thing – and Drakken _still_ owed him money for that, he thought resentfully.

"Oh, that's just silly," Amy chuckled, closing the door behind them – _why_ exactly had they stepped inside, Killigan faintly wondered, a slight grimace on his face as he noticed the inside of the house was just as pink and…_sugary_ as the outside. "I'm sorry if home if a bit of a mess, but we weren't expecting any guest," she blabbered on, physically pushing them on the couch "I'll be right back with cookies!"

"Did she just say _'they' _weren't expecting guests?" Ron asked, uneasily glancing around as if expecting to see some bio-engineered monster coming out from behind him.

"I think she was referring to _that_, laddie," Killigan said with a frown, looking at something behind him. Ron followed his gaze, and he took in a sharp breath as he saw Monkey Fist's petrified face looking back at him from a corner, his features twisted into a horrified expression. His arms were stretched out as if reaching for help, and though the effect was somewhat less dramatic due to the Cuddle Buddies Amy had placed on his shoulders and arms it was still enough to make something in Ron's stomach turn.

_You had just enough time to realize what you had gotten yourself into, didn't you?_

"He doesn't look happy with what he got," Killigan said quietly, thought he seemed slightly more disturbed by the…plushies surrounding Monkey Fist rather than by his stone state "what the heck did he do to end up like that?"

"Long story," Ron simply said, turning his gaze away from his foe with some effort "he just – hey!" he exclaimed as he heard a snapping sound just near him. He glanced down to see the dog-lobster thing – dogster? – he had already met on mount Middleton when he first ran into DNAmy "oh, hi there!"

"What is that _thing_?" Killigan asked, frowning as he looked down at the odd creature. The dogster looked back up at him, excitedly waving its tail as if it were glad to see him.

"Hey, this one isn't that bad – she's done worse, believe me," Ron said, reaching down to pat the dogster's head. The creature yelped in appreciation before walking to Killigan's side of the couch, clearly expecting to be petted.

The golfer snorted and folded his arms. "When hell freezes over," he muttered, causing Ron to roll his eyes. Why did bad guys always have to be that bitter anyway?

"Ooh, I think Lucy likes you!" DNAmy squealed with delight as she got back in the living room carrying a tray "isn't she cute?"

Killigan glanced down at the creature, that snapped its pinchers. He was about to say something about how questionable her idea of cute was, but he held back just in time – from what the laddie had told him, she could be dangerous, and he didn't really want to have a crazed genetist mad at him. Besides, she _hadn't_ snickered at his kilt like most non-Scottish people usually did, so he _could_ cut her some slack. Maybe.

"Aye, it's…er…unusual?" Killigan muttered a tad uneasily, mechanically taking a cookie from the tray Amy had showed in front of his face.

"Oh, that's what everyone says," she giggled "do you like it?" she asked as Killigan took another cookie.

"Aye, it is good," he said, sounding mildly surprised for some reason.

"Oh, I'm really glad you like it – cookie?" Amy asked again, turning to Ron, and she seemed delighted as both him and Rufus grabbed a handful each – they hadn't even had breakfast after all.

"So, what are you here for?" she asked as she took a cookie herself and sat on a pink armchair. Ron tried to mutter something, but with his mouth full he couldn't say anything intelligible.

"We're here for monkey boy, lass," Killigan said, briefly glancing at the petrified monkey man in the corner "_and_ for ye," he quickly added as he saw her pouting, clearly worried by the thought they wanted to take him away from her "long story short, the planet is about to be attacked by oversized aliens – aye, _again_ – and…"

* * *

"Interesting," Dr. Director's only eye carefully scanned the ancient scroll, lingering for a few moments on the bright yellow symbol.

"Quit acting like you could understand a single word of that crap, Betty," Gemini grumbled, but his sister ignored him – thankfully, Kim thought. She really didn't feel like witnessing another argument.

"I happen to know someone who can read it," she just said, putting the first scroll inside a scanner and typing something on a keyboard, a little smirk playing on her lips as Gemini snorted "if one of these is the key to awaken this…_weapon_, he will be able to tell us."

"Yeah, but we don't need a translation," Shego pointed out "we just need to know how the heck to _pronounce_ it."

"I'll ask him to send it back written in our alphabet," Dr. Director simply said "it is an emergency, so I will tell him to give it the maximum priority – I'm certain we'll have his reply in a couple of hours. I surround myself with the best elements," she added snidely, glancing sideways to Gemini.

"What?" he fumed "your agents are nothing compared to mine! They are better in any regard!"

"How do you _know_ that?" she sneered "you usually dispatch your agents after a week of work one way or another…"

"I simply get rid of the useless elements!"

"Which happen to be about half of your staff. I suppose that shows about how much _better_ your agents are…"

Kim and Shego exchanged a glance as the argument began to heat up, then they left the room as silently as they could. "I would have never thought I'd said that," Shego said "but I'm glad Senior took the organization in his own hands."

"Same here, he's better with that than it was with his son's education anyway," Kim frowned a little "by the way, have you seen Junior? I would have expected to see him around here at some point."

"Nope, he isn't here. Odd, the old man he's always dragging his son after him."

Kim shrugged as they walked down the alley. "Well, no big. He wouldn't be of much help anyway."

"He can be pretty capable under the right guidance," Shego said with a somewhat proud grin – after all, she had been the one who had briefly turned that wimp into an almost decent criminal "but yeah, I don't feel like babysitting…did you hear that?"

They both stopped walking and listened – there was a distant crashing and shouting coming from the end of the corridor…where the lab was. Kim and Shego glanced at each other.

"Dementor," Kim stated.

"Dr. D," Shego muttered.

_Aw, man, here we go…_

* * *

"Tell me once again why are we going at yer place, lad." Killigan grumbled as he landed near Ron's backyard.

"I have to, uh…get something," Ron said quickly, jumping out of the dirigible "I'll be right back!"

"I really hope it's something useful he's going to get…och, lass, are ye going to keep fussing over that rock much longer?" he asked as he watched DNAmy checking again if her 'honey bunny' was alright "he's a freaking _statue_ – it's not like he's getting hurt or something!"

"Oh, don't be a meanie," Amy chided him, but she stopped fussing over Monkey Fist – she had insisted to give him a seat even though he was standing, and getting him onto a seat had been hell – and sat next to Killigan "I'm sure he can hear me!"

_Och, I hope not. He'd be hanging himself the moment he manages to move again._

"Aye, sure," he muttered, frowning as he watched that dog-lobster thing walking around the dirigible – if that thing _dared_ to pee anywhere in there… "Was it necessary to bring _that_?" he asked in distaste, but Amy failed to hear the hostility in his voice.

"Lucy doesn't like being left alone – I always bring her with me," she cooed, taking the creature on her knees and petting its head "she's so friendly with everyone – Monty likes her too," she said happily. Killigan was about to say that he highly doubted monkey boy would agree if he could speak, but he decided against it.

"I see."

"Are you sure my other Cuddle Buddies will be taken care of?" Amy asked with a slight pout, suddenly looking terribly worried – they had been forced to promise her they would make sure some GJ agents would take care of her other…pets while she was away.

"Och, sure they will," Killigan said, not really caring about whatever happened to those…_things_.

She seemed considerable relieved by his answer. "Oh, thank you. I felt a bit guilty for leaving like that, but since it is an emergency and everything…and can you really bring back my sweetums the way he was?" she asked hopefully, glancing at the statue.

The golfer grunted, slightly annoyed by the way she kept bringing him up every moment for some reason. What did monkey boy have of _special_ anyway? "That Possible lassie and her sidekick said it can be done," he muttered, glancing outside "what is taking the buffoon so much time anyway?"

"Aw, I'm sure he will be back soon – are you always that grumpy?" she asked with a giggle, poking his shoulder.

"I'm not _grumpy_, lass."

"Yup, you are. You haven't even smiled once since when we got aboard."

"My golf course was ruined, an alien army is coming to crush us and I'm stuck with a bunch of…of…" he paused, unable to find the right word "of _wimps_ that can't tell left from right and that are supposed to _save_ us. Ye tell me what is there to smile about, lass."

"You shouldn't be so negative – I'm sure things will get better," Amy said with a disturbingly cheerful smile – had she even _heard_ what he had just said?

"Aye, whatever," Killigan grumbled, squirming uncomfortably on his seat and avoiding to look at her – her impossibly positive attitude and perpetually gleeful expression were just…just plain annoying, that was it "if that lad doesn't get back _now_…"

"Hey, I did it as quickly as I could! It wasn't easy to convince my parents, you know," Ron protested as he got back inside the dirigible with a…_a…_

Killigan blinked. "What the…?" he began, but he was cut off by DNAmy's squeal.

"Awww, a baby!" she squealed, clapping her hands like a chid who just got an unexpected gift "she's _so_ cute! Can I hold her?"

"Sure," Ron said, handling her Hana, who giggled as Amy tickled her under her chin, clearly appreciating her attentions.

"Oh, aren't you the cutest little thing…!"

"_Lad."_

Oh, right. Ron swallowed as he turned to face the golfer. "Uh…I guess you want an explanation, right?"

"Damn right I do," he grunted, glaring at Amy as she kept fussing over Ron's baby sister "do ye think I'm a baby sitter or something?"

"Well…" Ron glanced at Hana, then back at the golfer "it's a rather long story, so…how about saving it for when we're back to the headquarters? I wouldn't want to have to tell it twice."

* * *

Kim knew that they were in a state of emergency and that the last thing any of them should do was fighting each other, thus she knew she should have been angry or at least annoyed by Drakken and Dementor's behaviour…but really, watching Dementor hanging upside-down with Drakken's vines wrapped around his ankles _was_ rather amusing.

"So, who's the loser now?" Drakken repeated, literally gloating as he looked up at his rival.

"You are ze loser, you idiotic – ow!" he yelped as another vine slapped his nose "let me go! I told you to let me go, you idiotic…!"

"Dr. D?" Shego finally called – that game was getting tiring. Drakken, however, ignored her.

"_First_ you have to say I'm genius!"

"Forget it!"

"Then you can stay up there until –"

"Dr. D…" Shego called again, her eyes narrowing.

"Not _now_, Shego!" Drakken protested "so, who's the – _ouch_!" he let out a yelp as a blast of green plasma hit his backside, causing his vines to let Dementor go. Kim leapt forward and caught him just before he landed onto some very expensive-looking machine.

"Shego!" Drakken protested, his hands protecting his backside from further attacks "why did you do that?"

"To make you stop acting like a big kid," she said sharply "you're supposed to be working to create some weapon to use against the Lowardians, right?"

"Well…" the blue skinned scientist fidgeted a little, and Dementor grinned at him – but his grin quickly vanished as Shego glared daggers at him.

"Don't push your luck," Kim suggested him with an innocent smile on her face "you wouldn't like the result."

Dementor was about to retort that no one could threaten _him_, but he was interrupted as the door opened. "Sorry to interrupt whatever massacre is going on here, seriously," Motor Ed said, popping his head back in "but Senior wants everyone in the control room. Killigan and…uh…"

"Ron," Kim helped him.

"Oh, right. He and Killigan are back with Monkey Fist, DNAmy and some kid. Why the kid anyway?"

Kim shrugged under everybody's baffled glares. "We'll explain you in a minute," she said, walking past Motor Ed and fervently hoping they had made the right choice.

* * *

Ron sighed as everyone in the room – with the only exceptions of Senior Senior Sr., Dr. Director, DNAmy and, of course, Kim – kept laughing their butts off for at least half an hour…even Hana was laughing in his arms, but that was probably just because everyone else there was too. Well, she had to admit that it _did_ sound ridiculous that a dancing baby had defeated Monkey Fist…even if it was actually some mystical-ninja-weapon-baby.

"And you really think he may be able to fight off Lowardians? After losing to a kid? You are really getting desperate, Betty…" Gemini grinned at his sister. She gritted her teeth and ignored him.

"Oh, I should have known that Monty just doesn't know how to deal with children…" DNAmy said as the others slowly stopped laughing, shaking her head disapprovingly at the stone statue.

"Och, he definitely doesn't," Killigan snickered "defeated by a wee lassie! Aye, I'm never going to let him hear the end of –" he trailed off as Amy gave him a poutey look, and he immediately stopped laughing.

"Alright, you had your fun," Dr. Director said, though a slight smile curled the corners of her mouth as well as her gaze lingered on Hana. She turned to Kim, handling her a paper. "Here's the formula in out alphabet – it should be the right one for the awakening," she said, causing everyone to suddenly fall silent and turn to look at the statue standing in the middle of the room – for some reason, watching at the horrified expression on Monkey Fist's petrified face didn't make them laugh _at all_. Drakken silently stepped behind Shego, as if to shield himself from…_whatever_ bad that could happen.

"Perfect," Kim glanced at Ron, who held up Hana, then she took a deep breath and began to read with only a few hesitations_ "__Simian mon ka...kayala uwono ar-- aluay ken servant Yono__."_

A yellow symbol – the same symbol on the scroll – began to shine brightly on Monkey Fist's hand, and everyone in the room held their breath as a blinding yellow glow surrounded his still form. Ron bit his lower lip almost hard enough to draw blood as he held up Hana – she was the only one who could stop him if anything went wrong after all – wondering if it had really been such a great idea…

_Thump._

The sound of a body heavily falling on the ground, immediately followed by a faint whimper, finally broke the silence.

"…what?" was all Kim managed to say as the yellow glow disappeared, revealing the motionless form of Monkey Fist – once again in flesh and blood – lying in a heap on the ground.

"Oh, poor honey bunny!" DNAmy shrieked, rushing forward, but she stopped in her tracks as Monkey Fist gave a pained hiss and covered his ears with his hands, still lying on the ground.

"Don't…" he finally rasped, his eyes tightly shut against the violent light "don't…scream like that."

Amy hesitated just another moment before rushing by his side – without shrieking, thankfully. Ron half expected Monkey Fist to react and try to get away from her grasp, but he stayed nearly motionless as she cradled him in her arms. Alright, something was _very_ wrong there.

"What have you done to him, you meanies?" Amy asked, looking at them accusingly – and even though she had kept her voice relatively low, it was enough to make Monkey Fist wince…thought maybe it was more because it was _her_ than for the noise itself.

"We…just…unstoned him?" Ron said weakly, still holding Hana – who was giggling and waving her arms, unaware of what was going on. What was the problem? Wasn't Monkey Fist supposed to be the new Yono or something?

Dementor frowned "Are you certain ze baboon vould be able to help, fraulein?" she asked turning to Kim "he seems veak as a kitten."

She shrugged. "Well, he _should_. I don't understand what's going on…"

"Of course, we should have known!" Drakken suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to look at him questioningly and Monkey Fist to wince again "don't you get it?" he said, trying to keep his voice as low as he could "c'mon, it's obvious! He spent _months_ as a statue – like in…in suspended animation, you see: no noises, no light, no moving…it's obvious he can't get up or even stand light or loud noises now. He needs time."

"But the previous Yono didn't seem to have any problem," Ron objected.

"If what you told us is true, the previous…Yono, isn't it?, already _was_ supernatural creature – Lord Fiske wasn't," Senior pointed out "he was, and maybe still _is_, just human. Perhaps he needs more time to adjust."

Dr. Director frowned – they did have a point, though it was rather disappointing…on the other hand, they couldn't just leave him like that. "Bring him into some room – makes sure it's dark and that there isn't too much noise," she ordered to a couple of GJ agents, gesturing to Monkey Fist "send a doctor to check as soon as possible…and _please_, Ms. Hall, let us take care of him," she said almost exasperatedly as DNAmy began to protest about them taking her 'Montykins' away.

Ron swallowed and looked at Kim. "Okay, uh…we hadn't thought about that. What if he's not that strong after all? What if he cannot help?" he looked so mortified by the possibility everything had been in vain that Kim felt sorry for him.

"Hey, maybe Senior is right – he could just need time. And if not, we can still find a way to fight off the Lowardians by ourselves," she smiled weakly, trying to cheer him up as they watched a couple of GJ agents bringing Monkey Fist out of the room "and, if anything, you still saved a man from a fate worse than death…"

"Oh, wait!" DNAmy suddenly shrilled, running after the agents who were brining the monkey man away "let me at least give him one more hug…!"

Kim raised an eyebrow. "…then again, maybe not."


	4. Battlesuit vs Flower Power, round one

_A/N: wow, I really managed to update before the New Year – I wasn't sure I would manage, but I could take at least a few breaks from family dinners and stuff like that with the usual "I-would-love-to-stay-but-I-gotta-study-bye." The perfect excuse for every situation XD_

_I hope you all had a great time. ANd, what else? Oh, right - have a Happy New Year!_

_

* * *

  
_

Ron couldn't help but feel sorry for Frugal Lucre as he watched the poor guy's unhappy expression as he brought Gemini's dog outside – that dog was definitely a psycho, and he definitely wouldn't want to be stuck with it for a single minute.

"The helicopter will be landing any minute now," the GJ agent told them as they stood near the landing area "are you sure you don't want to wait for him inside?"

"Yes," Kim said, glancing up with the hope to see the helicopter approaching already. She had never been so impatient to see Wade – she just _needed_ to have someone else to speak aside for Ron…someone who was _sane_, she thought, and possibly not a criminal.

"Here it is," Ron said, glancing up to see the GJ jet with a sigh of relief.

Still in his arms, Hana laughed as the helicopter drew closer. "Page!"

Ron shook his head. "No, it's not a page, it's a…nevermind," he gave up.

Kim frowned a little. "Ron, how did you exactly convince your parents to let you bring her here?"

"I told them she would be more protected," he said with a shrug "which is true, I guess. They knew about the invasion already, GJ warned them. I think they warned your parents too – mom said they were all about to be transferred in a protected location."

Kim felt a small stab of guilt as she realized she hadn't thought about her family for a single moment since when the whole sitch had started – but after all, she had a lot of things to worry about, she quickly thought. "Oh," she just said, wondering if GJ had let their parents know exactly _how_ bad the situation was. Ron voiced her thoughts.

"Do you think they know what is really going to happen?" he asked, looking considerably less cheerful than usual. The idea that Monkey Fist might not be able to help after all seemed to have greatly disappointed him.

Kim shrugged. "I have no idea," she said, biting her lower lip. She felt like she was lying to them, and that was something she had never liked doing. She sighed, trying to be as optimistic as she could. "But hey, no problem – everything will turn out to be al –" her words were cut off by the loud noise of the helicopter landing nearby.

"Hey there, Wade!" Ron exclaimed enthusiastically as the boy's chubby figure got down from the helicopter.

"Page!" Hana shrieked.

"Hello, guys. Sorry for the delay – I had to work on some stuff," Wade said with a proud smile as he approached them.

Kim smiled. "Useful stuff?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"You bet! Just wait until you see the stuff I packed up…"

"I really hope you brought my battlesuit!" Dementor's voice caused all of them to turn – no one had noticed he was there "you promised me I vould get one!" he muttered – he apparently couldn't wait any longer…and Kim had the distinct feeling he was going to use it to get Drakken back for attacking him with his Flower Power. Oh, well…they could let him play with his new toy for a while after all.

The grin of Wade's face widened. "Of course…and not just yours. I have a bunch of new and improved battlesuits with me – you're going to love them…"

* * *

_Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump…_

A slight, dry smile curled Monkey Fist's lips as he intently listened the only sound he could hear in the silence – his own heartbeat. His hearing seemed to have gotten sharper than before…before…well, just _before_. He had no idea of what exactly had happened, where he was and _when_, so it wasn't like he could make any safe assumption.

He only remembered waking up – waking up from a deep sleep? From a coma? From something else? He honestly didn't know. He remembered al too well just how blinding the light in his eyes had been, and he was certain he had heard someone speaking…more than just one person, really, and especially one of the voices had been dreadfully high and familiar, but everything had been awfully confused. The last thing he could remember feeling before he had slipped out of consciousness again had been someone lifting him and carrying him away from…wherever he was.

Now he was lying on his back on something soft – definitely a mattress – and a pillow had been stuffed beneath his head, which was a luxury you don't always get in prison. A cloth had been placed over his eyes, and since the room was dark – he had dared to take a peek despite the discomfort he had felt previously felt with the light, and he had grimaced upon feeling how…stiffened his muscles felt – he assumed it was just in case someone got inside the room and turned the light on. Was he in prison? It was a possibility, but for some reason he didn't think so. It was more an instinct than reasonable thinking that told him that…but no, he didn't think he was in jail.

Then where was he?

The fact he basically knew nothing about his surroundings annoyed him: he didn't like having no idea of what in the world is going on. He tried to focus on his last memory before his awakening, but the last thing he could remember was that infant, the Han, falling on him: he simply couldn't remember anything past that, despite the nagging sensation that something else had happened between that moment and his awakening. And, for some reason, he felt like it hadn't been anything pleasant.

He shook his head as if trying to clear his mind – dear Lord, even his neck felt awfully stiff, just as the rest of his body. How long had he been without moving? He felt like he could barely move – maybe he should stop wondering what in the world was happening and start trying to warm up his muscles so he could--

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the door opening and the light being turned on. Thankfully he had decided to keep the cloth over his eyes, or else he knew the light would have been blinding. He listened intently as somebody got in…just one person, he thought as the steps approached. A rather nervous person, judging from the hesitant step pattern and the way he – yes, that was a man's voice – mumbled to himself… it was probably somebody who wouldn't be able to put on much of a fight; he could take advantage from that to escape…then again, the fact just one person had entered inside a room where he was unrestrained seemed to indicate that he had been right: he was not in prison.

Monkey Fist breathed a little more easily, and he stayed still as the steps approached. Just a little closer, he thought. Just a little closer…

His simian hand shot up to grab the man's arm as he touched his wrist to check his pulse, causing the poor man to let out a surprised shriek. He tried to get free from his grasp, but Monkey Fist tightened his grip on his arm. "Where…am I?" he rasped, mildly surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded – it was like he hadn't used his vocal chords for a long time.

_What in the world happened to me?_

The other man seemed to calm down considerably as he understood he wasn't up to fight and simply wanted to know about his surroundings for time being. It was like when somebody woke up from a coma, he mused, and the thought gave him some courage – he knew how to behave in those situations, and the man in front of him didn't seem dangerous at all.

"You're safe – and you're not in jail, if that's what you were wondering," he said, trying to sound as reassuring as he could and keeping his voice low for his hearing's sake "I'm doctor Stanfield – I'm merely checking if you're alright…but you seem to be doing well," he said, holding back a sigh of relief as Monkey Fist let go his arm and let his hand fall back on the mattress. He hadn't even tried to get up, which was a good thing – if the cloth fell from his eyes, the sudden light wouldn't have been pleasant for him.

"What happened?" was Monkey Fist's next question as the doctor checked his pulse – which was perfectly regular.

"Well…I honestly don't know the details," Stanfield admitted – it wasn't the first time something like that happened since when he had begun cooperating with GJ, and it was rather frustrating having to deal with patients without knowing exactly what had happened "I was told you awoke from some kind of…some kind of coma, I guess," he said, not knowing if 'suspended animation' would mean anything to the monkey man "don't you remember anything?"

Monkey Fist shook his head, frowning beneath the cloth. A coma? Well, that would explain quite some things – it looked like the Han had done more than just knocking him out, he thought, starting to feel enraged….then a sudden thought occurred to him, causing him to shudder.

"How much time have I been like this?" he demanded to know as the man doctor checked his reflexes. He didn't precisely appreciate being poked like that, but it wasn't the case to complain.

"From what I was told, just a few months. And, before you ask, all your muscles seem to be working just right. Do your ears hurt as I speak?"

"Only slightly."

"Good – your hearing will be back to normal soon. You were just no longer used to noises."

The monkey man nodded, starting to feel slightly reassured. "How about my eyes?"

"They are unaccustomed to light, of course – but that's another thing that will get solved soon," he paused "do you feel like trying? I'll lower the light intensity."

"Fine," Monkey Fist just said. There was no reason to not cooperate after all – it was in his own interest to regain his full capabilities as soon as possible: if necessary, there would be time to escape later. He heard a clicking noise form the other side of the room.

"Try to remove the cloth."

Though at its lowest intensity, the light in his eyes was still annoying – it felt like gazing at the sun in a slightly cloudy day: annoying, but bearable. He blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes accustomed to the light, and much to his relief he could see clearly enough.

"Can you see me?"

Monkey Fist sat upright slowly, his muscles feeling slightly sore, and looked ahead to the tall, lanky man with greying hair. "Yes."

"Am I wearing glasses or not?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just answer to me."

"No, you're not."

"Perfect – you can put the cloth back on. There's no need to overexpose your eyes to light right now."

"I can manage for now. You didn't reply to my question," he pointed out as he lay back down "where am I?"

"I guess you could say you're on an operating GJ base – sort of," it wasn't his duty telling him exactly what was going on "no, you're not a prisoner," he added quickly as he saw him squirm slightly at the news "you wouldn't be unrestrained if you weren't."

Monkey Fist chuckled dryly. "I highly doubt I would go far as I am now."

"It's only temporary," the doctor said, opening the door, and Monkey Fist grimaced slightly as more light poured into the room "somebody will come here to explain the situation better than I could," he added before closing the door behind him. Monkey Fist frowned slightly as he heard the electric lock activating.

"Not a prisoner? I beg to differ," he said sarcastically to the empty room, but he just laid there, his eyes staring at the ceiling as he once again tried to remember what had happened after the Han had knocked him out – he _knew_ something more had happened, and the fact it still eluded him was frustrating.

He sighed and decided to turn his attention to the present for now. He couldn't deny that part of him was genuinely curious to see what was going on – the whole situation seemed to be rather…interesting.

* * *

"Well, Betty," Gemini grinned at his sister as took a seat – Senior had to admit he admired the way he sat on the chair: one could have thought he was sitting on a throne "I really hope you and the kids here have another plan. Your freak of nature doesn't seem that threatening, if you ask to me."

"That is a very impolite way to refer to someone," Senior pointed out, causing Gemini to roll his eye.

Dr. Director, however, didn't seem upset – she probably just didn't want o give Gemini the satisfaction. "If Monkey Fist cannot help, we will go on as planned," she simply said "we'll built the most powerful weapons we can built and hope for them to be enough. Do you have a better plan, _Sheldon_?" she asked.

Gemini's only eye narrowed. "Don't start with me, Betty."

"I was simply asking," she replied, her voice as cold as ice "but of course, if you don't have any idea…"

Senior sighed and shook his head – he found it extremely saddening how they seemed to despise each other even though they were siblings. Family should mean more than that, he mused, then he chuckled inwardly at the thought that had just crossed his mind. He really was an old nostalgic man after all, he thought, faintly wondering if Junior was doing alright – he had provided him and his…girlfriend the best protection he could, but he doubted it would be enough should the Lowardians effectively take over the planet. One more reason for preventing them from doing so.

"I think it would be better for everyone here – for everyone on this _planet_ – if you just kept your personal problems out of this business," he said somewhat coldly "you are supposed to be working together now, and this constant quarrelling isn't going to help anyone."

"I'm with the old man here," Shego said from her seat, barely raising her gaze from the magazine she was reading – man, those two were so _boring_ to deal with. Hanging with Drakken was definitely funnier, she thought, half-considering joining him in the lab. Besides, slamming Motor Ed against the nearest wall every time he said something stupid – which happened awfully often – was quite fun. "Can't the two of you quit bantering like children? You're worse than Dr. D and Dementor, and that's quite an achievement."

Both Gemini and Dr. Director were about to voice their thoughts about being compared to those two, but they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Dr. Director," Dr. Stanfield said quietly, doing his best to ignore the fact he was in the same room with some of the most infamous villains alive "the subject is awake and responsive. All the vital parameters seem to be perfectly stable, though he's still weak – his eyes are still unaccustomed to violent light, and his ears are sensitive to loud noises. He'll be back to normal soon anyway, his limbs just need exercise."

"Good," she nodded briefly "aggressivity?"

"He showed none."

"I understand. Anything else?"

"Nothing relevant, but he's understandably confused. He demands to know what is happening, of course – he doesn't seem to remember what caused him to get into that…suspended animation state you told me about."

"Interesting. Can he understand what he's told?"

"Yes. He's perfectly capable to hold up a conversation."

"Perfect. Thank you for your help," she said, dismissing the man with a gesture before turning back to Senior "I'm going to explain him the situation, if you don't mind."

The old man just nodded. "Someone has to," he agreed.

"Are you sure you want to be left alone with a scary monkey, Betty?" Gemini piped in "do you remember what happened when we went to the zoo with mom that time – "

The sound of the door slamming shut as his sister marched out of the room was the only reply he got.

"Yeah," Shego said, rolling her eyes – that guy was _really_ more annoying than her brothers "I bet she does remember."

"Of course she does, I never let her forget it," Gemini gave an evil laugh, but he was cut off by the other door slamming open and Dementor rushing inside wearing some kind of…of…what _was_ that anyway?

"A BATTLESUIT!" he proclaimed, raising his arms as if he expected the three of them to start applauding or something "it's mine! Now ze loser vill pay!" he added, rushing down the corridor that lead to the lab.

Shego blinked. "…okay, I take back whatever I said about you being worse than those two. What the…?"

"He got his battlesuit," Kim said almost apologetically as she walked into the room along with Ron and Wade.

"And not just him," Wade said, looking around at the main room in admiration – now _that_ seemed a great place to work in! "I designed different kinds of battlesuits that could help –" he trailed off as they all heard screaming from the lab.

"Of course," Senior said with an almost resigned chuckle "we should have expected that to happen."

Wade blinked. "What's happening?"

"Battlesuit vs. Flower Power, round one," Shego said with a sigh, massaging her temples "this wasn't a good idea, Princess…"

Kim grinned a little sheepishly. "I know, but we gave him our word…uh?" she blinked as Ron suddenly put Hana in her arms and rushed to the door.

"Just keep her for a moment, okay?" he said excitedly "this is something I can't miss!"

"Hey, wait up!" Wade exclaimed, rushing after him – he was really curious to see how the battlesuit would work against the Flower Power that had taken down the Lowardian pods.

"Yeah, but we're supposed to stop them from…" Kim began, but they were out of the room already "nevermind," she sighed, quickly putting Hana on Shego's knees "just for a moment, alright? Just enough to check they don't blow up," she said quickly.

"What? No way!" Shego protested, getting up and handling Hana to the closest person – Gemini "just for a moment, okay?" she said, rushing out to catch up with Kim.

"Uh?" Gemini blinked, then he glanced down to Hana, who laughed and reached up for his nose. He grimaced, holding her at eye level, then he smirked and tapped her nose with his mechanical hand – there was a young mind he could corrupt, right under his sister's nose! "Hi there, little one. Have you ever considered joining the dark side and – hey!" he protested as Senior Senior Sr. snatched her from his arms surprisingly quickly for a man of his age and walked past him.

"Nothing personal," he said, sitting on the nearest chair with Hana on his knees "but I'd rather not leave children with someone who points dangerous weapons at them."

"Weapons?" Gemini glanced down at the mechanical hand he had just used to tap Hana's nose "oh. Right."

* * *

"Oh, I really hope they're treating him well…" DNAmy muttered for the fourth time, biting her lower lip a tad nervously – much to her dismay, she hadn't be allowed to follow the GJ agents to the room where they had brought Monkey Fist.

"Hey, he could help us saving the planet. You can bet they'll be careful with him, seriously," Motor Ed tried to reassure her. It was rather hard to believe she would ever be able to do anything to help, but after all she was the world's foremost genetist…and, according to Drew, she _could_ actually create some dangerous creature if she wanted to. In any case, she would surely be more useful than that Lurman guy: at least she could work in a lab without messing up. He was really better off just taking out Gemini's psycho dog.

Besides, he was rather glad to have someone else in the lab other than just his cousin, Dementor (who seemed to dislike him just because he was related to Drew) and Killigan: Drakken and Dementor seemed to be unable to stay in the same room for ten seconds without jumping at each other's throats, and even though that Killigan dude seemed a little better, he seriously needed some anger management. With those three, beside himself, sharing one lab…well, things could quickly get explosive. Literally.

"I guess you're right," Amy sighed "I just wish they let me see him…!"

"I bet they'll let you when we're done here – they just needed to check him. He didn't seem to be doing too well, seriously," he said causing Drakken to look at both of them in annoyance. He and Ed were supposed to be showing DNAmy the lab – Dementor had left muttering something about getting his battlesuit – but it looked like she wasn't listening a word of what he said, and his cousin wasn't precisely helping either.

He didn't like being ignored – and hey, he was the one who had previously defeated the Lowardians, right? And he had the Flower Power as well. Weren't they supposed to be looking up to him, he wondered, forgetting the detail that they hadn't been exactly thrilled when he had been given that medal from UN. None of the villains besides Shego and Frugal Lucre had been, really.

"Save the planet? Monkey Fist? Meh," he scoffed, folding his arms. Why was everyone talking about that monkey-obsessed nutcase anyway? He had been the one to chase Lowardians away from the planet! Okay, he had also been the one to bring them on Earth with the whole 'Great Blue' mess in the first place, but they didn't know that detail. "You _have_ seen him, right? He couldn't even walk!"

"But he could get better," Amy pointed out "you said it was normal for him to be like that after being like that for months."

"Who cares? Even if he gets back to normal…well, he was defeated by a _baby_!"

"Oh, Hana! Isn't she adorable?" Amy immediately squealed, causing Drakken to sigh. She couldn't just focus on a conversation, could she?

"Yeah, whatever. What I was saying is that –"

"Och, blue boy, if ye don't quit rambling this tour will last forever," Killigan grumbled from his workplace. He had been allowed to thinker with his explosives in that part of the lab – with that kilt he looked even more out of place than Ed with his ridiculous mullet, but Drakken had to admit he knew what he did when it came to explosive stuff…at least he still hadn't blown up anything by accident, though he had threatened to do so a couple of times. "Show the lass what she needs to see and shut yer trap – I'm working here."

"Now, now, there's no need to be so rude," Amy chided him with a slight frown "it's not nice."

"That's the point, lass. I'm _not_ nice."

She giggled. "See? You _are_ a grumpy one," she said almost in triumph, causing Killigan to roll his eyes and Motor Ed to snicker. He expected Killigan to retort, but he simply shrugged with a slight grunt and turned back to the micro-bombs he was working on, causing Ed to blink. Had he hit his head or something?

"Okay, fine!" Drakken snapped, grabbing Amy's arm and literally dragging her across the lab "this is our main power generator – everything gets energy from here. If you need some of your machines to be brought here…"

"Something wrong, dude?"

"Uh?" Killigan glanced up to see Motor Ed grinning down at him "what do ye mean?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, just wondering why you let her talk back to you without at least threatening to blow up something."

Killigan snorted. "I'm too busy to start picking up fight with a lass. Did ye all forget we have an alien invasion coming?" he snapped. Was there even a _brain_ under that mullet? It was obvious he would have more going on in his mind rather than start quarrelling with a crazed genetist with a thing for plushies and petrified monkey men.

Motor Ed held up his hands with a huge grin the golfer didn't like a bit. "Okay, dude, I get it – I'll mind my own business. Don't bite, seriously," he said, turning to join Drakken on the other side of the lab.

Killigan blinked. What the heck had that lad understood? He was about to ask, but he was cut off as the door banged open and Dementor rushed past him, almost knocking him from his chair in the process. _"What the…?"_

"Drakken!"

"Uh…?" the blue skinned doctor had barely enough time to turn before he was sent crashing against the nearest wall by a powerful blow. He gasped as his back hit the wall, feeling as if all the air had just left his lungs.

"That hurt, seriously," Motor Ed muttered, and DNAmy bit her lower lip.

"I hope it didn't hurt _that_ much, poor sweetie…" she said, rushing by his side to make sure he was fine.

"Much better zan your daisies, isn't it?" Dementor boasted, proudly standing in front of his rival, clad in his newly acquired, black and red battlesuit. His grin, however, wavered as he heard a muffled chuckle behind him. "Vat?" he asked, looking at Killigan and Motor Ed.

"Seriously, dude, what are you wearing?" Ed snickered – he seemed to be having a hard time to not laugh.

Killigan seemed just as amused. "I didn't know ye had a latex fetish, lad…"

Dementor's usually yellow-tinted skin turned into deep red as he gritted his teeth. "It is a _battlesuit_!" he barked, taking a few steps towards them "I'm not going to be insulted by a man vearing a _skirt_!"

"It's a _kilt_!"

Motor Ed grinned at Killigan's predictable reply – here we go again, he thought, taking a mental note to ask Senior if there was a popcorn machine around the lair. Sometimes he felt like they were much needed, and–

"Hey, watch out!" Killigan protested as a vine suddenly went past his head, narrowly missing both his head and Motor Ed's. Ed ran a hand through his hair – everything was alright, thankfully – as they both tumbled behind the table and watched Dementor being lifted from the ground by the vines coming from Drew's back.

"What did you say about daisies?" Drakken asked with a broad grin, but his grin quickly vanished as some kind of red shield appeared around Dementor, breaking the vines and causing him to stumble backwards "what…?"

"Surprised?" Dementor smirked "I have a few more tricks to shov you…"

"Is it always like this?" Amy asked quietly, sounding genuinely curious rather than scared as she crawled behind Killigan and Motor Ed to stay protected as she watched the fight.

"Aye, it's always like this," Killigan said with a shrug as he watched Drakken barely blocking Dementor's blow with another bunch of vines "och, I have to admit that latex thing works…"

"Hey, sure it does. Do you have any idea of how much I worked on it?" a rather outraged voice came from the door, causing them to turn to the small group of people that had just gotten in – more specifically, to the chubby boy who had just spoken…Team Possible's computer genius, of course. They should have expected him to join them sooner or later.

"I'd say they're even for now," Shego said dead-panned as she watched Drakken and Dementor fight while screaming at each other like children fighting over a teddy bear. Drakken's vines were trying to break Dementor's shield, and though the shield resisted keeping it up seemed to be taking all the power in the battlesuit so that Dementor could basically do nothing but keeping the shield on.

"True," Ron said, sounding somewhat disappointed – he had expected it to be more spectacular "are they going to stay like this until Drakken gets tired or the battlesuit runs out of power?"

"Alright, we better stop this before they make a mess," Kim said, turning to Wade, who held up some kind of remote control – he wasn't naïve enough to leave a battlesuit in the hands of a villain without having the possibility to make it shut down if necessary.

However, the boy hesitated. "Yeah, but if I turn it down _now_…" he shot a meaningful look at the vines that were still trying to break the shield.

Shego sighed. "Gotcha," she said, taking a step forward and lit up her hands "Dr. D?"

"Shego, can't you see I'm-- ouch!" Drakken yelped as a blast of green plasma hit square in his chest, causing him to stumble backwards and the vines to retreat, letting go of the battlesuit's shield, and Wade took advantage of the moment to shut off the battlesuit's power.

"Way to go, babe!" Motor Ed exclaimed, getting up from behind the table…just to be hit by another blast of plasma that knocked him on the ground.

"Will that lad ever learn?" Killigan muttered, shaking his head.

"Is this another thing that happens often?" Amy asked him.

"Aye," he replied, shifting a little to the left – did she just _have_ to stay so close?

"Shego!" Drakken protested as he got back up, pouting as if she had broken his toy "why did you do that?"

"Hey, we had to make you stop acting like big kids," she said somewhat sternly "didn't we already tell you to _grow up_? No fights in here? Do not start destroying the lab? Does it ring a bell?"

"But it was him who–" Drakken began, only to be cut off by Dementor's protests.

"Zat's not fair!" he bellowed, looking accusingly at Wade "I had your vord I would get ze battlesuit!"

"And you got it," Ron shrugged "but you never told us to not make sure you wouldn't use it the wrong way. You had your chance."

He gritted his teeth. "You never told me you vould do zat!"

"Hey, you never asked – be a good guy, and we'll power it up again," Kim said innocently, amused by the disgusted expression on Dementor's face – well, on the part of his face they could see.

"Anyway," Shego said, turning to glance at the now deactivated battlesuit Dementor was wearing "that stuff really works. Isn't it similar to yours, Princess?"

"Yes," Wade replied "I thought these could be useful, since we had to fight off guys whose strength is much superior than a human's."

"These?" Motor Ed inquired, getting up from the ground "are there more?"

"A bunch," Wade nodded "one for each of you…plus a few more prototypes. If GJ can get enough people working on these, we could make thousands of them in a short time. I thought that if all of us, the GJ agents and possibly the army could get them…well, it would help a great deal."

"Sure it would," Ron seemed to be enthusiastic "hey, is there one for me too?"

"Yes."

"Booyah!"

"Sounds great," Kim agreed "we just have to speak with Dr. Director about this. I'm certain she will give us all the resources we need," she turned to the others "by the way, where is she?"

"She paid a visit to Monkey Fist – it looks like the Sleeping Monkey woke up," Shego replied, causing Ron's grin to disappear and DNAmy to squeal in delight.

"Oh, I'm so glad he woke up! How is he doing? Did he ask of me…?" she blabbered.

Killigan snorted. "Och, it was about time," he grumbled, doing his best to ignore Amy's babbling. Alright, monkey boy had awakened – big deal. What was there to get so jolly about?

"Hey, I have no idea. Ask the big boss when she gets back," Shego shrugged off Amy's questions before turning to Kim and Wade "until then, let's get to speak with Senior about your battlesuit idea – I bet he's got plenty of resource to put at our disposal as well. Maybe this time we'll manage to stop fooling around and finally get to work…"

* * *

Monkey Fist wasn't surprised as the door opened and then closed again, letting a woman in – he had heard the steps coming from the other side of the corridor. "Lord Fiske," she said quietly as she stood still for a few moments, her eyes – no, her only eye – adjusting to the dim light.

He gave a small, wry smile – how much time had it passed since last time someone had referred to him with his title and surname? "I was wondering when someone would show up to explain me exactly what's going on. I was starting to feel rather neglected," he said. She sat on a chair next to his bed.

"I am Dr. Director," she simply replied as if she hadn't even heard his remark "the head of Global Justice."

"Charmed," Monkey Fist said dryly, sitting up against the wall to stay at her same eye level – he didn't like it at all how she towered over him. He half considered trying to attack her, but he quickly decided against it – he knew she was a pretty good and experienced fighter, and he was in no conditions to fight her. "Am I so important that the head of Global Justice herself is here to explain me what happened? I'm quite flattered."

Her only eye narrowed. "This is not the moment to be sarcastic," she said firmly "this is an emergency."

"Oh, really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow "and how am I supposed to know it?"

She had to admit he had a point. "You don't remember anything, do you?"

"Last time I remember is a child falling on me," he said dryly, not really wanting to dwell into every single, embarrassing detail "I was told I've been into a come for a few months."

"Well, that's not completely accurate," she said quietly "it was more like…suspended animation."

Monkey Fist frowned, staring at her in the dim light. "I'm afraid I'm not following," he finally said.

She sighed – if he really didn't remember anything, she was going to have to try to remind him something. Under normal circumstances she would have tried to avoid being so blunt, but that was an emergency. She had to see if he actually could be useful against the Lowardians. "Lord Fiske, you have spent these last four months – four months and ten days, to be accurate – as a stone statue," she finally said.

There was a long, heavy silence as he stared at her as if she had just informed him that…well, that he had been turned into stone months before. "A stone statue?" he finally repeated.

"Yes. Do you remember now?"

Monkey Fist stayed silent for a few moments, his eyes staring blankly ahead. A stone statue, he thought. A stone statue, just like…like… "Path of the Yono," he finally heard himself whisper, his eyes widening as he glanced down at the back of his hands. There was nothing but hair now, but he could clearly remember how brightly the Mark of the Yono had shined there when he had agreed to follow that dark path.

Dr. Director nodded. "Yes. According to what Team Possible told me, you agreed to follow that path…and you did after being defeated."

"By the Han," Monkey Fist snarled, rage finally surfacing in his still confused mind "it was the Han who defeated me!" he gritted his teeth, his fists clenching.

"Exactly. You were turned into stone right after being defeated – do you remember that?"

Monkey Fist bit his lip hard enough to almost draw blood as another memory suddenly came to his mind – a horrible feeling of coldness spreading through numb, unmovable limbs, and a dreadful sense of helplessness and despair as all light disappeared from his sight. "Yes," was all he said through gritted teeth – yes, now he remembered! Team Possible was going to pay dearly for that, he thought, hatred burning in his chest. Them, that insufferable Yamanouchi ninja, the old man and that _blasted_ infant!

"Perfect," Dr. Director nodded, quickly thinking of something she could say to distract him from that thought – he needed him to be lucid from that moment on, not enraged "I'm not familiar with this kind of things, but Possible and Stoppable seem to be quite sure that this has given you some kind of power. They say you are the new...Yono, isn't it?"

The thought seemed to have never occurred to the monkey man, for his eyes widened in utter surprise. "The new Yono?" he repeated, sounding almost incredulous "you think I'm the new Yono?"

"I don't think anything – Team Possible does," she remarked – it wasn't like she had ever witnessed anything that they claimed had happened…but she had to trust them "it seems to surprise you."

"I never found any indication that could make me think a such thing," Monkey Fist just replied, barely managing to suppress some odd sense of euphoria – could he really be the new Yono? If so, that would mean he'd have a power beyond imagination! He felt his heart beating faster at the thought, but he tried to not make it show up. After all, it was just a hypothesis: he still felt weak…and he didn't know what was he doing there, wherever 'there' was. He better be careful with what he did or said for now. "All I knew was that whoever unearths the Yono and receives its mark can command its power. But of course, your means of research can be rather…limited when you are a criminal to the world," he added somewhat bitterly "there could be more information I don't know about."

"This will no longer be a problem," Dr. Director muttered "we must find out everything about this…power you might have. All the contacts and sources of Global Justice are at your disposal for research," she said, grimacing inwardly as she spoke. She would have never thought she would say anything like that to a criminal, but that was an emergency and she couldn't allow herself to hesitate.

Monkey Fist raised an eyebrow – now that sounded most interesting. "Why, I'm moved," he said wryly "and here I thought your objective is to stop dangerous criminals like me rather than helping them…" he smirked at her stiff expression "for some reason, I get the feeling you might want something in return."

Dr. Director smiled bitterly. "I don't like this," she said "I loathe having to work with the ones like you…"

"Why, thank you," he said dryly.

"…but sometimes, you simply have no choice but recur to desperate measures."

The seriousness in her voice caused Monkey Fist to frown. "This doesn't sound good."

"It isn't. You see, there are quite some things you missed while you were petrified…"


	5. Limits

_A/N: okay, this one took a while to get done…and of course, it turned out to be completely different than planned. The whole thing is turning out to be rather different and much longer than I thought, but whatever: I just have too much fun with the interaction between the various villains and heroes, so I keep adding stuff that I can't bring myself to leave out. As usual :P_

_Enjoy! _

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* * *

  
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"You are telling me that _aliens_ attacked the planet while I was petrified."

"Yes."

"And _Drakken_ chased them away."

"Yes."

"With _flowers_."

"Precisely."

There was a brief silence. "I don't honestly know which part I have most trouble to believe to," Monkey Fist finally said quietly, causing a faint shadow of a smile to appear on Dr. Director's face as she tried to picture what Drakken's reaction could be like upon hearing that statement. He would probably begin ranting about how much better his Flower Power was than Mystical Monkey Power, no doubt.

"You have just being awakened after being turned onto stone by some kind of ancient curse," she simply said "I guess nothing should surprise you anymore."

"True enough," Monkey Fist admitted sourly "if I understand correctly, you want my help to fight them again in case they come back."

"They _will_ come back – it's just a matter of when," she pointed out "and yes, we might need your help. Even more so if you actually _do_ have the power of Yono."

Monkey Fist had to hold back an excited grin at the thought, suddenly feeling restless and burning with the urge of start doing research and try to find out if he _really_ was the new Yono…but he better be careful, he decided. He was still in a vulnerable state, and he wasn't sure he actually had that power: he had to be sure he did before he did anything rash that could result with him being turned into stone again. The thought caused him to cringe inwardly – if they had brought him back from his slumber, could they turn him back into a statue as well? Dr. Director hadn't stated it directly, but while speaking she had more or less implied they could do so. He didn't know if she was bluffing, but he wasn't willing to take risks.

"And what if I don't have this power?" he just asked, wondering what would happen if they didn't find him useful to their cause.

"Do you think you have it or not?"

"I have no idea. The fact I was turned into stone just like the Yono and then was awakened by the same formula used to awaken him seems to indicate I am."

"Is it possible for you to have that power and still not realizing it?" she asked, looking rather sceptical.

"It is. A such power…it is beyond human comprehension," an odd smile spread on his face, causing Dr. Director to feel oddly uncomfortable – she already knew the man in front of her was insane, but that morbid smile told her more about his insanity than words ever could "a human could have it, and yet not be able to unleash it. It would require concentration, training and a clear mind to actually be able recognize, unblock and use it."

"And do you think you would be able to do so?"

He laughed. "If anyone can, that's me," he said briefly "but you didn't reply to my question – what if I don't have that power?"

"You are still a capable fighter," Dr. Director said with a shrug "and we need all the help we can get."

"Why, I'm flattered. Did you actually team up with WEE and all the others?" Monkey Fist asked with a smirk, causing her to grimace.

"Yes," she said resentfully "it was the only choice."

"I guess it is a good indicator of how desperate the situation is," Monkey Fist said dryly.

"Lord Fiske, the whole planet is in horrible danger. If there is a possibility, no matter how small, that any of them could somewhat help...we have to try."

He nodded, though failing to see how _Frugal Lucre_ could ever help – Dr. Director had wisely decided to not mention DNAmy for now. "I understand. You do realize, of course, that I'm going to need to do a large amount of research and…testing to see if I really am the Yono. And if I am, learning to control the power might take time."

"I told you, every source of Global Justice is at your disposal," she said briefly, getting up "though you probably don't have that much time left, it's worth a try."

"And what would I get in exchange?"

"Well, the planet wouldn't be destroyed to begin with – which means you, like all of us, would stand a chance to stay _alive_," she said "besides, we freed you from your imprisonment – you should be grateful."

"You set me free only because you needed me. If you didn't, I would be still a statue – I have no reason to be grateful," he remarked.

"You're right – if you indeed have that power, you are a potential menace to the world. We wouldn't have set you free if it hadn't been an emergency."

Monkey Fist grimaced. "I appreciate the honesty," he said sarcastically.

"Can you blame us?"

There was a brief silence. "No."

"And, of course, should you ever try to turn against us…you'll be turned back into stone permanently," she said. She wasn't really sure they could turn him back into a statue if necessary, nor she really knew how exactly the whole thing with the 'Han' would work, but it would be better for everyone if he believed they could. "Do you accept our offer?"

"Do I have any choice?" he asked. He knew he _could_ turn against them if he got powerful enough…yet there was still an unanswered question – could they _really_ turn him back into stone if they wanted? – that made him hesitate. He better play by their rules for now, at least until the emergency had ceased – it was in his own interest preventing the planet from being destroyed after all. And, after that, if he really was the Yono…he would crush them before he could even have time to realize what was going on and react. He simply had to use them to gather as much information about the power he could. How gracious of them, offering him that chance!

"I guess not," she simply said, getting up and turning to leave "you better stay here another while."

"I see no point in losing time," Monkey Fist said dryly, carefully standing up and grimacing as his still stiffened muscles protested – he really needed to warm up again "in case you forgot it, I have some work to do."

"GJ is already searching for all the information available – we'll pass the results to you. In the meanwhile, you better stay here just until your eyesight and hearing adjust a little more," she chuckled briefly for some reason Monkey Fist couldn't understand "you're going to hear a lot of yelling around here, believe me."

* * *

"Zat's _unfair_!" Dementor bellowed for the fifth time as they walked outside the lab "I vas never told you vould do deactivate it…!"

"Oh, look – the Flower Power _can't_ be deactivated," Drakken said with a grin, pretending to be speaking to himself "who is the genius, I ask…"

Dementor gritted his teeth. "_I _am ze genius! You only got zat...capability for accident! And ze idea of using mutant plants wasn't even yours! It was _mine_!"

"Was not!" Drakken protested, looking absolutely outraged "I came up with it all by myself!"

"Liar! I had ze idea of using mutant plants first – and it almost vorked!"

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Uh…are you sure? I don't recall you coming up with a scheme like that…"

"Because you veren't there, fraulein – but ze sidekick vas," he muttered, pointing at Ron "and he ruined my plan! He can tell I had mutant plants!"

"Och, the buffoon took ye down by himself? Without the lassie?" Killigan snickered from behind them "doesn't look like that great scheme worked so well…"

"Wait a minute," Kim said as Dementor kept ranting and raving about how Drakken kept either stealing or copying his ideas – Drakken didn't seem to be giving in to his provocations and start a fight for once, but Kim strongly suspected that the fact Shego had lit up her right hand while glaring at him had something to do with it "Ron, when did you go into a mission without me?"

_Uh-oh._

Ron and Wade shared a quick, almost guilty glance – Kim still didn't know that the reason why she had gotten a whole afternoon of detention in the school library was that Ron had taken the book she was supposed to give back…nor she knew how they had been into the lairs of almost every villain looking for it.

"Well…" Wade shrugged, doing his best to look innocent "it was that one time you got a detention in the library you know – after that hag too the Kimmunicator I couldn't contact you, so I asked Ron for help."

"Oh," Kim blinked "but wasn't that when he took that mystical from Monkey Fist?" she asked, causing Ron to cringe inwardly as he remembered what a mess it had been getting rid of those phantom monkeys.

"Uh…yeah, that too. Double mission," Wade said with a sheepish smile, and Ron immediately nodded.

"Wow – that's great, Ron," Kim said, sounding rather surprised.

Ron was about to reply that hey, it hadn't been a problem at all, but a familiar shrill interrupted him as they got inside the main room. "Page!"

"No, no, that's not a page," Senior said with a small chuckle, wiggling his finger at the child sitting on his knees "it is a cane. A cane," he repeated, and it was clear he had been repeating that for quite a while now. He looked much like a grandfather with his grandchild, and the thought caused Kim to smile for some reason.

"Give up, dude, I already tried that," Ron said with a shrug "she will just say – "

"Cane!"

Ron blinked. "Okay, scratch that."

"Aww, isn't she adorable?" DNAmy cooed, looking as if she was about to melt.

Killigan shrugged. "Aye, looks like a nice lassie," he said, still wondering how could it be that such a small kid had defeated monkey boy – but he was immediately snapped from his musings by a powerful pat on his shoulder. _"What the heck…?"_

"Looks like you are a real softie after all," DNAmy giggled, causing him to grit his teeth as he rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder – did that lass just _have_ to hit so hard? If that was how she hit someone when she was being friendly, he definitely didn't want to know what it could be like having her mad at him.

"Lass, I am no soft – I'm Duff Killigan!" he protested.

"Oh, you just like to act all grumpy," she said cheerfully, waving her hand dismissively.

"I _am_!"

"But you said you were not grumpy before," she pointed out innocently.

"She got you, dude, seriously," Motor Ed said with a grin. Killigan opened his mouth to speak, then he just grumbled something intelligible and turned away, still rubbing his sore shoulder – there was no point in discussing with those two anyway.

"Good child," Senior was saying with a somewhat proud smile, glancing down at Hana as if she had just succeeded into a difficult task, then he glanced at Ron "does she like sweets?"

"Sure. What kid doesn't?"

Shego raised an eyebrow as the old man opened a drawer and handled some candy to Hana. "So, you keep sweets in your drawer. Do you have a sweet tooth, or it's just in case someone brings a kid in your lair?"

"Actually, it's Junior who keeps a few supplies in every lair," he said with a shrug "but I'm certain he wouldn't mind… " he paused as he noticed that Gemini, who had been sitting in silence on the other side of the table, was trying to take a peek of the drawer's content. "If you want one you simply have to choose," he offered, slightly amused – it somewhat reminded him of when he caught Junior glancing hopefully at the candy jar he had been told not to tough because he had just brushed his teeth…and he would always end up giving up and letting him eat some.

"Of course _I don't_– I have better things to think of rather than _sweets_," Gemini said, looking away somewhat embarrassedly…then he turned back to glance to the drawer after making sure his sister wasn't around to see him "…do you happen have marshmallows, by any chance?"

"Of course – suit yourself."

"Hey, I want some too!" Drakken said, stepping forward "is there…?"

Shego sighed. "He really is a big kid," she said, shaking her head and causing Kim to smirk. She was about to say that yes, he was a big kid she clearly happened to have a thing for, but automatic door opened before she could speak causing everyone to turn, thinking it was Dr. Director – which was probably the reason why Gemini had been so quick to swallow the marshmallow he had been roasting on a small flame coming from his mechanical hand's index finger.

But no, it wasn't Dr. Director – it was just Frugal Lucre…looking rather nervous, really, and the reason was clear to everyone when Gemini spoke. "Where is Pepe?" he asked, narrowing his eye and glancing briefly around before looking at the poor man again.

"Er…well, you see…he was with me until five minutes – " he trailed off with a yelp as a worrying clicking sound came from Gemini's mechanical hand.

"You have five seconds before I obliterate you," he informed him casually _"where is my Pepe?"_

"He's dead," Dementor stated, taking a step back to stay as far as he could from Frugal Lucre.

"So very, very dead," Drakken agreed, stepping behind Shego.

"Wait, it's not my fault!" Frugal Lucre nearly shrieked "I was bringing him back, and then that thing came close to us and he ran away, and…"

"Thing? What thing?" Gemini demanded to know, and his question received an answer barely seconds later as the automatic door suddenly opened again and Pepe bolted inside, yelping, closely followed by some creature resembling some mixture between a dog and a lobster. Or a crab. Something with _pinchers_ anyway.

"Oh, Lucy! Here you are!" Amy said cheerfully, taking the creature in her arms with a giggle "I was starting to wonder where were you…"

"What in the world is that?" Gemini bellowed as he picked up his yelping dog and tried to calm him down "hush, Pepe, it's okay…" reassured him, suddenly sounding awfully like DNAmy cooing at her homemade creatures. Frugal Lucre breathed a little more easily as he slowly stepped as far from Gemini as he could.

"Oh, she's one of my living Cuddle Buddies," Amy explained happily, and she giggled again as Lucy enthusiastically waved her tail and snapped her pinchers again towards Pepe, causing the small dog to yelp again and snuggle closer to his master "aw, I think she likes him!"

"You living…what?"

"Cuddle Buddy," she repeated.

Gemini blinked as if he she had just spoken Chinese, then he shrugged. "Whatever – bring that sickening…thing out of my sight! It's scaring my little Pepe!"

Amy frowned just a little. "That's not a nice thing to say. She only wants to play…!"

"I don't care," Gemini barked, still trying to calm down his terrified dog "if you don't bring it out of here, I'll – "

"Och, lad, it's not like you own the place," Killigan snapped, folding his arms and stepping beside Amy – he was really getting tired of Gemini's bossy attitude and his ridiculous concern about that stupid excuse of a dog "ye aren't anyone's boss here, and ye shouldn't yell like that to a lass anyway. And for the record…" he was about to add how he didn't like that overgrown rat he insist calling a dog either, but Senior handled Hana back to Ron – it took him a few moments to convince her to let go of his jacket, Ron was somewhat jealous to notice – and stepped between them.

"Now, now," he said reasonably, waving his cane "there is no need to fight over such things. The lair is big enough for both…dogs," he said a bit uncertainly, glancing at the creature in DNAmy's arms "to stay here without having to meet each other. And _please_," he added turning to Gemini as he opened his mouth to speak "I'd like to remember that you _all_ are my guests."

Gemini, stared at him for a few moments, then he finally close his mouth without speaking and shrugged – now that Pepe was somewhat calming down, he didn't seem as anxious as before to get that dog-lobster thing out of there…as long as it didn't come any closer, of course. "Fine," he grumbled glaring at Killigan, who just returned the glare.

"I'm glad to see everything is settled. Ms. Hall, would you mind letting one of the Glo–" he trailed off as he heard Pepe whining from Gemini's arms "I mean, letting one of the agents bring your…pet in your room for now?" Senior asked.

"Oh, of course not," DNAmy said, turning to the closest GJ agent – who had followed the whole scene holding his breath and trying his best to stay unnoticed – and handling Lucy to him. The man was all too happy to have a reason to leave the room to even mind about the pinchers.

"That was close," Kim said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Shego shrugged "I was ready to bet those two would rip each other to shreds."

"My money would have been on Gemini," Drakken, said, stepping away form Shego now that it didn't seem to be any danger.

"Mine too," Dementor said, causing Kim and Shego to raise an eyebrow – were their ears playing tricks on them or those two had actually agreed about _something_?

"Hey, I heard that," Killigan protested, causing Gemini to smirk as he absentmindedly petted his Pepe – did that man in a dress honestly think he could ever be a match for him?

"Seriously, dude, no offence – but he's got the cool hand that fires missiles…" Motor Ed said with a shrug.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, and you don't even have you golf balls with you right now," he pointed out. Rufus popped out from his pocket and nodded as if to prove his point.

Killigan snorted. "I wouldn't have needed those to – ow!" he yelped as Amy suddenly gave him a rib-cracking hug.

"Aw, it was so sweet of you defending me and Lucy," she chirped, causing Killigan to blink.

"What?" he snapped, struggling to break free from her surprisingly strong grasp – that was the most stupid idea he had ever heard! He, defending _her_ and that…thing? He had simply gotten tired of Gemini's attitude, behaving like he they were in the WEE headquarters, that was all – it had nothing to do with her or her pet! "Och, lass – _let go_!"

"This is wrongsick," Kim said.

Wade made a face. "Word. So much word."

"Poor Duff," Ron said, shaking his head – he had seen something similar happening with Barkin, and it hadn't ended up well.

"Yeah, I agree. It kinda reminds me of someone," Shego said, glancing at Drakken with a grin. The blue skinned scientist folded his arms over his chest with a frown.

"Shego! You had promised to never bring it up again!"

"Yes. True. I lied," she reached up to pinch his ear "so sue me."

Drakken grumbled. "You never keep your promises," he nearly whined.

"Hey, I'm evil. What did you expect?"

Motor Ed, who was probably the only one that was really having fun while observing the scene, grinned. "C'mon, she' just trying to thank you, seriously," he said casually, causing Killigan to growl.

"Just wait until I get my hands on ye, lad…" he threatened, still trying to get away from DNAmy – and thus he stumbled forward ad almost fell on the ground as she suddenly released him, turning to the automatic door that had just opened.

"Dr. Director," Senior greeted her as she stepped inside "I trust you already explained Lord Fiske the situation. Did he accept to cooperate?"

"Ohh, so he really is awake!" Amy squealed, stepping forward "how is he? Did he say something? Is he…?"

"Och, lass, that hurt," Killigan complained, trying to check if he had any broken rib – but, much to his annoyance, she paid no attention to his complaints as she kept questioning Dr. Director about the condition of her 'sweetums'.

"He is awake and responsive," Dr. Director said briefly, taking a mental note of informing the poor man of the genetist's presence in the lair before he found out by himself "but it's better if he stays at rest a little more – which means no visits," she said, causing Amy's smile to turn into a disappointed frown, then she turned to Senior "and yes, he accepted to cooperate with us."

"Oh," Kim and Ron exchanged a slightly worried glance – they both knew there was the risk he could double cross them "did he show any sing of having the Power of Yono?"

"Not yet. He's not quite sure himself – he said he's probably going to need some research and testing to verify that."

"Er…great," Ron swallowed "did, uh…threaten someone? Like, say, me? Kim? My sister? My parents? My uncle? Rants about destiny and Mystical Monkey stuff and so on?"

Dr. Director shook her head. "Nothing of this. I'm not excluding he has _thought_ about it, but he isn't stupid enough to say it aloud while he's relatively helpless. And, before you ask, I told him we can turn him back into stone if he tried to turn against us in any moment."

"But that's not true," Ron pointed out "yeah, right, we have the Han, but we don't _know_ for sure that – "

"No, we don't – and neither he does. I doubt he would take risks," she said with a small smirk "all the GJ agents that aren't working on some weapon are already using all out resources to find some information about the Yono. We can only hope he does indeed have that power and manages to get a hold of it in time."

"I would have never thought I would wish for Monkey Fist to have _any_ kind of power," Kim said with a sigh "much less that we would _help_ him to control it."

"I know what it's like, Kimberly – in some situation, you have to do things you would _never_ want to do," Dr. Director said, meaningfully glaring at her twin brother.

Gemini grinned. "Needing help from your older brother – it burns, doesn't it? You always wanted to do everything your way…"

His sister frowned just for a moment, but she thankfully ignored him and turned to Drakken and Dementor. "The agents of _Global Justice _just brought here some samples of Lowardian technology," she said, a smile curling her lips as Pepe began yelping desperately in her brother's arms "not to mention the DNA samples, the explosives and the mechanical components the three of you requested," she added, glancing at DNAmy, Killigan and Motor Ed "shouldn't you all be in the lab working on something useful anyway?"

"Hey, babe, we _were_," Motor Ed said, deciding to omit the detail they hadn't precisely been _working_ inside the lab "but the boy genius here came up with something cool, and we were up to tell Senior about it, but then the kid said 'cane', and the old man gave her candies, and then the dog…" he paused as Dr. Director's eye narrowed "seriously, I think the boy here can explain better," he said rather quickly, grabbing Wade and pushing him forward – that chick's glare was definitely scarier than Shego's plasma could ever be.

Dr. Director's gaze softened. "You are Wade Load, I presume – I'm glad to meet you in person," she said with a small nod "so, what do you have in mind?"

"Battlesuits," he said, pointing at the deactivated battlesuit Dementor was still wearing "like that one – I had already created a prototype for Kim last year, but I've been working on it since then. They are super resistant, self healing, increase the speed and the strength of whoever is wearing them, and they can activate a small force-field shield around the user – since the Lowardians are much stronger than a human being, I thought they would help if we managed to equip as many soldier we can with those."

Dr. Director seemed thoroughly impressed. "You had an excellent idea," she said "how many of these prototypes do you have?"

"About a dozen – they are perfectly functioning already. I think you could replicate thousands of them rather quickly with the resourced of GJ."

"And that's definitely what we're going to do," she said "I'll immediately send one of the prototypes to the Globa –"

"Betty!" Gemini barked, covering Pepe's ears.

"Oh, knock it off," she snapped "I'll send one of the prototypes to the GJ scientists. Hopefully, in a few days every country on the planet will have a fair amount of them at its disposal," she frowned a little, as if worried by the thought.

"Is there a problem?" Kim asked, a little confused "isn't it supposed to be a good thing?"

"Not necessarily, Princess," Shego said with a shrug "yeah, it is a good thing now that we have a common menace to face – but just in case you missed it, most countries aren't always best buddies to each other. It's a bit like us – now we are allies because of the circumstances…but this won't last forever. If we want to be very optimistic, once this emergency is over all that technology could bring conflicts between countries on a whole other level," she Shrugged "and that wouldn't be pretty - actually, if will probably end up hurting civilians. Correct me if I'm wrong, Big Boss."

Dr. Director nodded. "Yes," she said "that's exactly the problem. I am unwilling to equip the armies around the globe with a such technology, but I'm afraid we have no other choice for now," she muttered somewhat bitterly. She really, really didn't like some of the choice she had been forced to make lately.

"Oh, that's terrible," Amy said, looking genuinely worried. None of the others spoke, but it looked like none of them liked the idea, villains or not.

Wade, however, didn't seem worried. "We could always deactivate them once they are no longer needed," he said, holding up the remote control he had used to deactivate Dementor's battlesuit "after Dementor managed to gain control of Kim's battlesuit, I changed a few things – once they are shut down with this, they can't be reactivated unless the owner of the remote control decides to do so. You could easily install a chip in each battlesuit and deactivate them all at once as soon as the war is over."

"This is an excellent idea," Senior approved with a nod "Dr. Director, if you want to send a battlesuit prototype to the GJ headquarters right away, I'll make sure the way is clear for the jet to go."

"Good idea," Wade opened the bag he had left in the main room before rushing to the lab to see the fight between Drakken and Dementor and handled a battlesuit to Dr. Director.

"Hey, wait," Ron said "didn't you say there are battlesuits for us too?"

"Yeah. Other than the one for Dementor and Kim's, I brought one for you and Shego - plus a few more spare one, if any of the others wants one…"

"Woah, woah - wait a minute, genius. If that battlesuit looks anything like Kimmie's, I'll pass."

Wade grinned. "I knew you would have said that, so I modified the design," he said, taking another battlesuit from the bag "looks familiar?"

Shego raised an eyebrow, then she smirked as looked at the battlesuit, identical to the jumpsuit she normally wore. "You are a smart one," she said, taking it from the boy's hands.

Kim shrugged. "You really have a horrible taste for clothes."

"We better not start to speak about clothes, Princess – do you remember the outfits you have been wearing when you had no more mission clothes?" she asked, causing Kim to grimace and Drakken to snicker.

"Don't remind me, Shego – you know I can't stop laughing if I think of it," he muffled another laughter "do you remember how she got stuck on the ceiling after –"

"Hey what do you have to laugh anyway?" Kim snapped "I _defeated_ you after that!"

Drakken's fit of snickers abruptly stopped. "She did?" he asked, turning to Shego.

She rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"

"Hey, you can't expect me to remember all the times she ruined my schemes!"

"It's easy – she always did. Every single time. You'd be ruling the world otherwise, you know."

He blinked. "Oh. Right," he muttered bitterly, then he seemed to lighten up a little "but I wouldn't want to be in that position now that the Lowardians are coming," he said, as if it just made it all better.

"Zat's right," Dementor agreed with him, causing everyone to wonder if he was feeling alright "ve're lucky ve're not ze ones in charge."

Shego blinked. "Uh, hello? Sorry to ruin the moment, but they want to destroy the whole _planet_, not just the ones who run it."

There was a moment of silence following her words. "Aw, snap."

"I must admit I can barely believe it," Senior said, absentmindedly observing his cane "I can understand someone's desire to conquer a planet to control it – most of us tried at least once – but to purposely attack a planet just to destroy it and exterminate its inhabitants…" the old man shook his head with a sigh "this is beyond inhuman."

"Well, technically they are not humans," Ron said a little weakly. Hana seemed to sense the uneasiness in his voice, for she reached up to grab his nose and muttered 'brother', causing him to smile a little.

DNAmy bit her lower lip, looking a little paler than usual. "Maybe they aren't _really_ going to aim for out extinction…maybe they were just trying to scare us."

Kim sighed. "Their message left little doubt about their intentions," Kim said with a sigh "I really _hope_ it was just some random threat, but the ones we met…they seemed to be ruthless enough to do that. They take defeats rather badly," she said.

Ron cringed as he remembered what Warhok had said about turning her into a trophy. He swallowed as he thought of how he hadn't been strong enough to protect her…but that would change, he decided. He would change as soon as he had a chance to use his own battlesuit.

Amy, however, didn't seem convinced. "But they can't be all the same," she insisted "maybe the others aren't as mean as the ones you met…maybe they are not _that_ cruel."

"Perhaps they aren't," Senior agreed with a nod "but we can't exclude they _are_ either."

Gemini, who had followed the conversation with apparent indifference, scoffed. "Are you all going soft?" he asked "excluding my little sister and the kids here, none of us is some _saint_. The idea someone could do that shouldn't really impress you that much."

Dr. Director gritted her teeth at his words. She was about to speak, but she paused as she saw the tight line of her twin brother's mouth – she knew him well enough to know what it meant: the thought someone could invade a planet aiming for its complete destruction _did_ bother him after all. It wouldn't be the first time he tried to seem even worse than he actually was, she thought with slight amusement.

"But we have _limits_," someone whose presence everyone had completely forgotten suddenly spoke up. Frugal Lucre seemed a little uneasy as everyone turned to look at him, but surprisingly enough no one seemed hostile…not even Gemini. "Hey, that's true," he said, this time a little louder "was have limits."

"Aye, the lad is right," Killigan said with a shrug "we have limits. I _do_," he added, folding his arms and glaring at the others with an almost challenging look. He didn't look towards DNAmy, and thus he failed to see the almost admiring look she gave him.

"Same here, dude," Motor Ed said with a shrug "okay, I tried to steal a wheelchair from some kid and did some other stuff, but _exterminating_ people? Not for me, seriously. Drew?"

"Well…" Drakken cleared his throat, glancing around uneasily, then he dropped his shoulders – his reputation as a supervillain had already been flushed down the toilet when he had helped saving the world the first time, so there wasn't much point in denying it. "Not for me either, I guess," he finally muttered. He expected some sarcastic remark from either Shego or Dementor, but none of them said anything: Shego just nodded shortly at him as he turned to look at her – had that been a _smile_ that had flashed on her face for a moment? – and Dementor was avoiding to look at anyone, his eyes fixed on the ground. Drakken waited for a few more moments, but no taunt came from him.

"Well, this is…nice?" Kim finally said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, Princess, if this is going to turn into some we-all-have-hearts-so-let's-all-be-friends kind of thing, I'm out of here," Shego snapped "as far as I'm concerned, I want to stay _alive_ and possibly still have a planet to _live_ on – that's all. Now, this chit-chat was _sooo_ moving," she added sarcastically, glancing around "but shouldn't we all be doing something else? Like, say, getting ready to the invasion? I bet the Lowardians aren't wasting their time right now."

* * *

"General Warhok," the soldier greeted him as he stepped inside the control room "we weren't expecting your inspection so soon."

"It's never too soon to start keeping an eye on the recruitment," Warhok said briefly as he glanced at the screens "but I see everything is going on as planned."

"Of course – the recruitment is proceeding quickly, and the army is almost ready."

"How about the weapons?"

"They're ready – Lieutenant Warmonga inspected them already. The training for the new recruits is almost done. After that, we'll be ready to travel to the Solar System."

"Perfect," a shark-like smile appeared on Warhok face as he basked into the thought of revenge. Unfortunately the army he was gathering wasn't as great as he had hoped – there were countless planet under their control, and most of their soldiers dislocated among them to prevent their populations from rebelling – but he was certain that would be enough for primitive creatures like earthlings "I expect you to report every progress."

"Of course, sir."

"Excellent. For Lowardia," Warhok said as he stepped outside.

"For Lowardia," the soldier replied immediately, bowing his head slightly as the general left the control room, then he sighed. "I'm not sure I like this."

"Watch your tongue," another soldier warned him, his eyes fixed on one of the screens "you know the General doesn't appreciate it when someone doesn't agree with his ways. Besides, this is a war – nothing different from what we did thousand times already. The earthlings dared to challenge us, and we must react."

"This is not any war, and you know it. We have always attacked to conquer and dominate – but never to only destroy, especially not when a planet holds no interest for us," he shook his head "it makes no sense. Don't tell me you are comfortable with this."

His companion sighed. "No, I'm not – if you want my opinion, taking over that planet and humiliating the earthlings would be enough of a punishment…but Warhok is the one with the power here. We must obey – for Lowardia."

"I know, of course," there was a pause "I only have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

Monkey Fist frowned as he stretched his arms, trying to get rid of the stiffness that seemed to have affected every single muscle of his body. He had considered meditating for a while, but he wanted to get rid of that awful sensation of stiffness in his body before. Even walking was somewhat difficult, but he was getting over it quickly enough now that he had managed to somewhat warm up.

Of course, it wasn't like he could walk that much: he could only wander in circles around the room – which, as he could see now that he had slightly increased the light's intensity, was considerably larger then he had assumed at first. No, that definitely _wasn't_ a cell…then again, he _was_ locked inside. Where did they expect him to go anyway? As he was now, he wouldn't get far. Then again, once he gained control of the power of Yono, if he really had that power…

He grinned. With the Power of Yono, it would take him nothing more than a _gesture_ to wipe those fools away from existence – and they thought they could control, even blackmail him! Once the power within him – because that power _had_ to be within him! – would be unleashed, there would be no limits to what he could do.

_No limits._

His thoughts were interrupted by an odd, metallic sound, and considering the circumstances it took him a few moments to realize what it was – someone was knocking to the door of his…room. He raised an eyebrow, slightly perplexed, then he sighed as he realized who it had to be – there was only one person he knew that would politely knock on the door of a room where somebody was held…well, he guessed he _was_ a prisoner.

"Do come in," he said, sitting back on the bed as the door opened to let Senior Senior Sr. inside.

"My apologies for bothering you, Lord Fiske," he said as if he had just interrupted something "I felt obliged to welcome you here, since you are now my guest. Are you feeling any better?" he asked, thankfully keeping his voice low.

Monkey Fist was about to retort how he could hardly feel like a guest since he was locked inside a room, but Senior seemed to anticipate his thoughts. "Of course, this is only temporary," he gestured to the room with his cane "until your eyes and ears get better…but you already seem to be doing well enough."

"I suppose I couldn't hope for it to get better than this in so little time," Monkey Fist simply said, even though he wasn't sure of how much time had passed since his awakening "this still doesn't explain why the door is locked and there are guards in front of the door."

"I'm sincerely sorry about this, but GJ wanted to take precautions. Of course, from now on you're free to go anywhere you please in the lair, although I personally suggest you to – "

His words were suddenly covered by the sound of voices coming from outside, one of whom was loud enough to make Monkey Fist cover his ears while hissing in pain.

"Please, you can't get here – we have orders…!"

"Hands off, you meanie! I want to see my Montykins, and I will see him _now_!" a dreadfully familiar voice shrieked, causing Monkey Fist's eyes to widen in horror. The monkey man whimpered, trying to get up from his sitting position, but he had barely enough time to move before something resembling some kind of large pink missile rushed past Senior and into the room with astonishing speed, almost knocking the old man off his feet before jumping on Monkey Fist with a shrill.

"_Honey bunny!"_

"Dear Lord," Senior muttered as he watched the monkey man desperately struggling to break free from DNAmy's grasp, wincing as she spoke too close to his ear while she happily blabbered about how happy she was of having him back. Senior didn't exactly know the dynamics between the two of them, but for some reason he was pretty sure the feeling wasn't precisely mutual.


	6. Mystical Monkey Power

_A/N: wow, this is getting awfully close to 40,000 words and I still keep adding stuff. I just can't resist – could someone please smack me? Thanks.  
Anyway, this will probably be the last update for a while…a couple of weeks at least. Sooo many exams, so little time. I hate it _:P

_Enjoy! _

_

* * *

  
_

"Ron, easy! You can't--"

"Ouch!"

"…use that inside," Wade sighed as Ron crashed against the wall after attempting to turn his jetpack on "look, you should start with the basics…"

"I have no time for the _basics_, Wade," Ron protested, getting back on his feet and brushing the grey and red battlesuit he was wearing "and this is not the first time I use one of these anyway– I took Kim's last year, remember?"

"To cheat and be admitted into the football team," Wade pointed out.

"But after that I made it by myself."

"That's not the point. You only needed to increase your strength and speed – now you'll have to use the battlesuit to really _fight_, and not against football players. It's completely different."

"Hey, I did fight against KP with that one!"

"It wasn't you, it was the _battlesuit_ to move. And Dementor was controlling it," the boy reminded him. Rufus, who was chewing some candy he had taken from Senior's drawer, nodded at his words.

"Oh. Right."

"So, how about starting one step at time?" Wade suggested, "it really doesn't take _that_ much to get used to it."

"Kim did it at her first attempt," Ron tried to protest one last time.

"Yeah, but Kim is _Kim_," the boy replied with a shrug.

Ron didn't seem convinced. "And Dementor managed to use it as soon as he got it too," he said "he did use the shield against Drakken's flowers."

"But he had spend who knows how many hours studying it – he had the data of Kim's battlesuit, and he was obsessed with it," Wade frowned "Ron, are you sure you're alright?" he asked. It wasn't like Ron at all, expecting himself to do everything right at the first attempt. He had never seemed to really mind the fact he _rarely_ got things right before the millionth attempt...if he ever did.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ron said somewhat sheepishly. Wade wouldn't understand – he wasn't there while he watched Kim being held up by Warhok, feeling too weak to actually do anything to help. But that would change, he decided. It _had_ to change.

"Oookay," Wade said with a shrug "now, back to the basics – to activate the shield and keep it on…"

* * *

"A penny for your thoughts, Kimmie," Shego said, back flipping to avoid a kick and throwing some plasma at her. Those battlesuits really were something, she mused as she raised a bright green shield around herself the block the blast of plasma that Kim had just thrown back at her. That computer geek had definitely done a good work – he had even added mini jetpacks on the back, though they better wait until they got outside to try them out. It was a real pity they wouldn't get to keep that stuff after they dealt with the aliens.

"Just wondering how Ron is doing," Kim replied with a shrug, dropping on the ground to kick Shego's legs from under her, but her foe leapt back just in time and threw a vicious kick towards her head, forcing her to roll away.

"Wait a minute – the planet is about to be attacked and all you're worried about your boyfriend trying out his battlesuit?"

"It's _Ron_ we're talking about," Kim pointed out, blocking a blow.

"Yeah, I can see the problem," Shego admitted "but the lair is still standing, so your computer genius is keeping him from doing too much trouble. Besides, should anything happen, I bet it would be Dr. D's fault anyway. Or Dementor's," she paused "now that I think about it, they could easily make the whole place blow up if they decided to start using the weapons they're building against each other…"

"Yeah, I bet," Kim muttered absentmindedly "I'd still feel safer if I could keep an eye on him."

"On Dr. D?"

"On Ron," Kim smirked "I'm leaving Drakken to you," she said snidely as she sidestepped her punch.

"Oh, _thank you_," Shego muttered sarcastically, and she frowned as she saw her opponent smirk "don't tell me you really believe what those alien freaks said about me and Dr. D, right?"

"Well, you _did_ get defensive…" Kim ducked just in time to avoid a blast of plasma, and Shego growled in frustration "see? You're getting mad even _thinking_ about it!"

"I'm just trying to train for real," Shego said, attacking again – a tad more viciously than before, Kim noticed. "_Without_ the chit-chat, if you don't mind."

"Aw, c'mon – you love bantering during fights."

"Only when I like the subject," Shego smirked "weren't you speaking about you dumb boyfriend before you began blabbing nonsense about me and Drakken?"

"He's not dumb," Kim protested, trying to trip her "he's just--"

"Hopelessly clumsy and clueless?"

"I thought you wanted to quit talking about Drakken," Kim said a little sharply.

"Oh, _please_ – I know all that stupid stuff about love being blind you teens are all about, but _really_…" she grinned, blocking a blow "one would have to be blind _and_ deaf to not see your boyfriend is a walking disaster – and you wouldn't be so worried about him trying out his battlesuit if you didn't know it. You have odd tastes, you know."

"Look who's talking," Kim retorted "first Junior, then Drak--" she trailed off as another blast of plasma, more powerful than the others, narrowly missed her head before she even had enough to see it coming and hit the wall, leaving a deep, smoking hole in the metal. She raised an eyebrow. "Wow, now _this_ is denial," she muttered, a small smirk on her lips as resumed a fighting stance.

That fight was definitely heating up.

* * *

"Oh, yes – you do want this, don't you?" Gemini grinned as he held the marshmallow just out of Hana's reach, causing the child to giggle and reach up for it, and Gemini was faintly surprised to see Pepe wasn't even yelping, or barking, or snarling – he seemed to…tolerate the kid. A sign that he should bring her to the dark side, he decided. Besides, now that he had taken one of those battlesuits to send them to WEE labs and he had given instructions to his scientists about what to do with them, there wasn't much more than he could do other than waiting for the results. And his sister wasn't even around to be teased – he was _bored_.

He grinned as Hana tried again to reach up for the sweets. Alright, he could faintly recall the old man telling him to not try thwarting the child's mind before he handled her to him and left to visit the monkey man, but he wasn't a bad guy for nothing, was he? Corrupting such a young mind right under his sister's nose was an opportunity he couldn't waste. Yes, maybe she was a little too young to be properly corrupted, but he had to start at some point, right?

"Choose evil, Hana Stoppable, and you'll have all the marshmallows you--" he trailed off as banging noises coming from the metallic door, causing Pepe to start barking – it was like someone was hitting and scratching it. He blinked as a high-pitched, panicked voice came from behind the door.

"_LetmeinletmeindearGodpleaseopenthisdoor…!" _someone nearly screeched a moment before the door buzzed open and Monkey Fist bolted inside, his hair ruffled, his eyes narrowed to protect his vision form the light – from the way he kept squinting, Gemini got the impression he couldn't seem much more than fain shadows and confused colours around him – and an absolutely panicked expression on his face. He looked more like a lost wild animal than a man.

"Monkey Fist?" Gemini said with mild surprise as he put the child back on the table and took Pepe in his arms to make him stop barking – judging from the way the monkey man kept wincing, his ears weren't used to much noise yet "what in the world…?"

"Yoo-hoo, monkey muffin!" his question got an answer as a cheerful voice reached them, causing Monkey Fist to whimper and frenetically look around for a place to hide with his nearly blinded eyes. Gemini didn't usually take pity on someone that easily and he had always been among the ones who had most fun everytime the monkey man was forced to leave a villain convention running with that crazy genetist at his heels, but mocking him in that condition would be just low. Even by his standards.

"There is a closet," he muttered quickly as he heard DNAmy's voice approaching "on you left."

Monkey Fist immediately scrambled to the wall to his left and found the closet after a few attempts, succeeding to get inside and close the door behind him just as Amy Hall walked inside the main room, hoping with all his soul she hadn't seen the door closing.

Fat chance.

"Aw, it's not fair hiding," she chirped, knocking on the door and causing Monkey Fist to yelp from inside – Gemini honestly couldn't tell if it was because of the noise or because of her presence "come on, honey bunny, do come out and let me hug you…!"

"What happened?" Senior panted as he finally walked inside, leaning heavily on his cane – he was not a young man anymore, and he couldn't run as quickly. Who could have ever guessed she could be _that_ fast?

"This," Gemini shrugged, gesturing to the scene before them – DNAmy apparently talking with a closed door – as he tried to make Pepe calm down. Hana, on the other hand, was quietly observing the scene, chewing some candy.

"He locked himself in?"

"Wouldn't you?"

The old man sighed. "Dear Lord," he muttered, walking to DNAmy. "Ms. Hall, I can understand you urge to, hum…spend some time with Lord Fiske," he said, and another whimper was heard through the door "but as you can see, he's probably not in the right--"

"Oh, I know him – he just likes playing hide and seek," she giggled, turning again to the door "don't you, cutie pie?"

"Actually," Senior said a little more firmly, trying to stop her from trying to turn the handle without having to get physical "I think he's not in the right conditions to meet you."

"But you talked to him, and so did Dr. Director," she pointed out with a slight scowl.

"Well, yes, but…" the old man thought quickly "I think it's you he doesn't want to see. Not that he wouldn't love to, of course," he added just as a yelp that sounded much like 'make her go away' came from inside the closet "but he probably wouldn't want you to see him while he's still recovering. I'm afraid male pride is something no man can get rid of," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh," Amy's scowl immediately melted at the thought "you're probably right – silly me, I should have thought about it. My Montykins is so proud, you know," she giggled.

"I'm glad you agree," Senior said smoothly "now, I think you might be needed in the lab – the samples and machines you asked for have already been brought here, remember?"

"Right," she nodded, a little embarrassed "I'm sorry for making you lose time, I just couldn't resist…"

"Believe me, everything is perfectly alright," Senior reassured her "now, if you'd kindly join the others in the lab and let us know if there is anything else you may need…"

"Sure – I'll go immediately," she turned to the closet one last time "see you later, honey bunny!"

There was a moment of silence as she finally left the room. "I thought nobody else was supposed to meet him," Gemini finally said.

"She followed me," Senior said with an almost apologetic shrug before frowning "look out for the child!"

"Uh?" the younger man turned just in time to see Hana crawling dangerously close to the table's edge and caught her before she could fall, shifting Pepe on his left arm so he could hold both of them. "I got her. Isn't her brother supposed to be watching after her anyway?" he asked with a slight grimace as Hana laughed and reached for Pepe, but his gaze softened slightly as he realized that his dog clearly appreciated her attentions.

"He's trying to learn how to use his battlesuit, I suppose – I'll keep her from now on," Senior said before lightly knocking on the closet's door "Lord Fiske? Is everything alright?"

There was a moment of silence before Monkey Fist finally spoke. "Is she gone?"

"Yes," was the reply "you can come out."

There was another brief silence – the monkey man was certainly listening intently to make sure she actually wasn't around – then the door was unlocked and he stepped out of the closet, his simian hand shielding his eyes from the sudden light. "You never told me _she_ was here," he nearly snarled.

"You never asked," Gemini replied with a shrug "would have you rather stayed a statue anyway?"

Monkey Fist clenched his jaw, and for a moment it looked like he was seriously considering the idea, but before he could spoke Senior suddenly places something over his eyes – sunglasses.

"What in the world…?" he asked, taken aback, then he blinked as he realized he could see his surroundings a lot more clearly now that the light felt less blinding.

"Feeling any better?"

"Yes," Monkey Fist admitted, clearly relieved – he didn't usually like wearing anything over his eyes and he was pretty sure he had to look ridiculous with those on, but he could deal with sunglasses as long as he needed it. He could deal with all of them as long as he needed them, he thought with a small smirk…which actually wavered a little as he realized DNAmy was indeed of the people he was going to have to deal with. That would be even worse than having to deal with Stoppable.

"What is she here for?"

"We hope her knowledge of genetics could help creating some kind of creature that could help us in this war," the old man replied "some kind of…living weapon – according to Dr. Drakken, she did so at least once before. Not to mention that she had you – we asked her to join us as we went to retrieve you."

"She _what_?" Monkey Fist asked, bewildered "how in the world--" he began, but he trailed off as a sound reached his over-sensitive ears – a giggle. A dreadfully familiar giggle, he thought as he slowly turned to look at the source of said noise and stared mouth agape at the child in Gemini's arms. The Han looked back at him with a smile and reached out for him.

Gemini raised an eyebrow as the monkey man suddenly yelped and got back inside the closet, slamming the door closed again. "Is this guy really supposed to be helping?" he asked quietly, turning to Senior.

And, for once, the old man actually was lacking of words.

* * *

"Okay, uh…how about a break?" Kim panted, leaning against the wall.

Shego nodded, flashing her an okay sign. "I second that."

"Great," Kim said as the door opened to let them out. She simply couldn't wait to take a shower and get the battlesuit off her to wear something more comfy. She honestly couldn't get how could Shego wear her usual suit al the time, she thought with a sigh. If she were heading for home, she would change into something more comfortable than her usual mission clothes – her other clothes still hadn't gotten there from home – get a cup of something and maybe call Monique to ask her about--

She abruptly stopped walking as the thought hit her. Monique – did she have any idea of what was going on? She knew GJ had already alerted the governments all over the world, but had the governments alerted the population yet? Had the operation to protect civilians already started? She knew her family was safe for now, into some protected locations – Senior had already explained that the relatives of everyone working to save the world had already been informed of the situation and brought into some safe place – but what about Monique, and Tara, and Bonnie, and all the other people she used to meet every day at school?

She had no idea of what was going on outside that lair, and the thought caused her to scowl.

"Something wrong, Princess?"

"Just wondering what's going on out here," Kim said with sigh – the whole thing made her feel awfully helpless "doesn't that bother you, not knowing anything of what is going on outside?"

"Can't think of anyone out there I'd cry for," Shego shrugged "hey, don't look at me that way – it's true."

"Not even your brothers?" Kim asked with a smug grin.

"They take care of themselves," was the only reply she got.

Kim was about to add something else, then she blinked as another thought suddenly hit her. "Wait a minute – why aren't your brothers here? They are heroes! They could help!"

"Oh, no, forget it," Shego snapped "if they get into this, I'm outta here. There is a reason why I stopped working with them, and I bet you know it. They're _annoying_."

"But they could help," Kim insisted "especially Hego with his strength, and…why didn't GJ contact them?"

"Oh, they did – but those idiots said some sappy stuff about how they would be honoured but would rather stay to defend Go City. You know, stuff about how they can't leave their beloved city unguarded in a moment like this," she rolled her eyes "they never got into the big game anyway."

"And GJ didn't insist?"

"I think they did, but without much success. And they stopped trying when I told Dr. D – the _other_ Dr. D – that it was a matter of me-or-them. I guess she tried to say something about how we all have to make sacrifices here, but whatever. She chose me over them anyway," Shego added with a smirk.

"You said that after you rambled at her because she wouldn't get over her rivalry with Gemini?"

"Yes."

Kim rolled her eyes. "You're being selfish."

"And this surprises you because…?"

* * *

"Report," Dr. Director said as the head of the scientific team of GJ appeared on the screen.

"We just examined the battlesuit," the man replied with a slight nod "and we're extremely satisfied to tell you we can start replicating it immediately. We'll stop working on any other project without an immediate purpose to get as many people as we can to work on the battlesuits. We're also making sure they won't be able to take out the power to the planet this time."

"Perfect. Can you estimate how many battlesuits we can produce in one day?"

"It's hard to tell, but I think we might reach a hundred-thousand each day from tomorrow already. The production will most likely speed up as we keep working on it."

"It's still not enough," Dr. Director said, frowning "we don't even know how much time do we have left."

"We keep the outskirts of the Solar System constantly under control – if an army gets here, we'll know it at least a few days they get here, no matter how quick their spaceships are. As for the battlesuits, we'll have all the organizations we have contacts with producing them. Er…do you think we should also contact…?"

"I'm sure WEE is already getting into producing them as well," she said with a shrug and a small smirk "Gemini stole a battlesuit for its labs while he thought I wasn't looking."

"Oh," the man blinked, then he shrugged "anyway, we'll equip the governments we can trust enough with the machines to replicate them as well, and we're working on a league of material that would be more resistant to Lowardian weapons – I _promise_ we'll be ready for their arrival," he said, causing her to smile a little – it was in moments like this that she actually felt proud of being the head of Global Justice.

"Excellent. Keep me informed."

* * *

"This _rocks_!" Ron exclaimed enthusiastically as he watched what was left of the robot he had been training with – he had managed to catch the blast of energy it had shot to him and throw it back just at the fifteenth attempt, which had pleasantly surprised Wade.

"Ron, _you_ rock!" the boy genius ran a hand though his hair, still looking at what was left at the robot "you are really getting good at this, you know. You're trying harder, uh?"

"You bet," Ron said with a grin, giving Rufus a high-five "booyah!"

Wade frowned a little, still glancing at his friend – there was something different with him, he thought, some kind of determination he couldn't recall ever seeing in him. He really was focusing on what he did, and while not phenomenal, the results were quite surprising to say the least…especially considering Ron's usual level of competence.

"Yeah, that's great," the boy said with a nod "how about a break now? I'm getting some soda."

"Okay, get one for me too," Ron said, absentmindedly waving his hand "just one more minute, okay? There is some other stuff I want to try out."

Wade hesitated for a moment – he wasn't sure it was a good idea leaving Ron alone with an active battlesuit, no matter what – then he shrugged. "No problem – I'll be back in a minute," he just said, stepping outside, and Ron failed to see him producing a remote control from his pocket as he left. Better safe than sorry, Wade thought as he went to get something to drink.

Ron barely noticed he left, his gaze fixed on the new robot that had just emerged from some kind of trap door to take the place of the destroyed one. "Alright, Mr. Rob," he said, taking a cowboy-like pose "this, uh…lair isn't big enough for both," he declared as he charger, raising his hand to punch it…

BONK.

"_Ouch!" _Ron yelped as he took a step back, holding his aching hand "hey, that's not fair! You should be softer, or…" he paused, glancing down at his hand "or the battlesuit should be stronger…whoa!"

Rufus covered his eyes with his paws as the robot suddenly started firing blasts of energy at Ron, who began running around while screaming, his arms flailing over his head. "Hey, hey, stop it! I was kidding! I was kidding! The lair is big enough…aaaaah!" he shrieked as he tripped and fell on the ground "Rufus!"

Rufus immediately darted to the control panel to stop the robot, but the movement sensors revealed his presence to the robot, who turned the fire to him much, to Ron's horror.

_Well, awesome. I'm trying to finally get how to fight so I can really help KP, and I'm putting Rufus in danger to save me again. Great._

Ron frowned as he slowly got back on is feet, glaring at the robot as it kept firing against Rufus. He felt that sudden, unfamiliar wave of hate he had felt when he had seen Warhok holding up Kim's unconscious rising again, causing him to clench his hands into fists as he kept staring at the at the robot, trying to picture Warhok standing in its place…

_Come, Warmonga, we will take this one as a trophy._

Something seemed to snap in his mind, and Ron darted forward, causing the machine to turn its attention back to him. Its sensors, however, had barely enough time to register a blur of blue light before the blow simply…crushed it, leaving a smoking hole on the ground.

"Uh?" Ron blinked as the rage that had filled him vanished just as suddenly as it had come, replaced by surprise. He glanced down at his hands to see a faint blue glow surrounding him. "Hey, cool! I didn't know this battlesuit could do this!" he said enthusiastically, still staring at the blue glow "Rufus, check this--!"

"Ron!" Wade panted as he rushed inside the room with a remote control in his hand "wow, thankfully you're still in one piece – I forgot to turn off…the…robots…" the boy paused, staring mouth agape at the scene before him. His eyes rested on the now vanishing blue glow surrounding Ron, to the bunch of melting metal that had once been a functioning robot, and back to Ron. "What…how…?" he stammered.

"This is badical!" he yelled excitedly "why didn't you tell me this battlesuit has super powers?"

"Well…"

"Oh, oh, let me guess – it was a surprise test, wasn't it?" Ron went on as the glow finally faded "you were on control all the time to make sure I wouldn't get hit, right?"

"Ron…"

"And you were waiting to see if I got how to use the surprise feature, uh?"

"_Ron…"_

"Man, you got me scared for a moment! And, uh…_just_ for a moment, sure. Do I get a prize or something for tapping on the next level stuff without help?" Ron asked eagerly "oh, wait, I know – I get a naco! Grande size!"

Wade swallowed. "Ron," he said slowly "you battlesuit has been shut down since the moment I left."

* * *

"…I just thought he wanted to play hide and seek, that naughty boy, but then I realized he didn't want me to see him in that condition – isn't that silly?" DNAmy giggled, causing everyone in the lab to roll their eyes – how could she be so delusional to not realize Monkey Fist wasn't interested in her in the slightest?

"What does have monkey boy that's so special anyway?" Killigan grumbled, still concentrated onto some kind of micro-explosives that, according to him, would be powerful enough to cause damage to the material the Lowardian weapons were made of.

"Oh, so many things!" Amy said dreamily "he's interested in genetic mutations…"

"Just because he needed it," Killigan remarked.

"…and he's such a gentleman, you know…"

"Yeah, right – a gentleman who uses his feet to grab things," Drakken snickered.

"And he's so handsome, and tall…"

"I'm not _that_ short," Killigan grunted without any apparent reason, causing Motor Ed to chuckle.

"…and his monkeys are so adorable!" she sighed dreamily "oh, I can't wait for this war to end so we can stay together! I think I'll--"

"Vhat is zis smell?" Dementor asked with a frown as an unfamiliar scent that definitely didn't belong to a lab filled his nostrils.

"Oh, looks like the cupcakes are ready!" Amy chirped, getting up from her seat.

Dementor blinked. "Cupcakes?" he repeated as he watched DNAmy taking a tray filled with just-baked cupcakes from under one of his death rays – which, he noticed, had been turned on to its lowest setting "you used my death ray to bake _cupcakes_?"

"Yup – I didn't know where the kitchen was, and I didn't want to bother Senior. Besides, I could keep an eye on them more easily this way…are you alright?" she asked with a slightly concerned look as she saw Dementor sputtering.

"Zat is a death ray! _My_ death ray! And you used it for _cupcakes_!" he said, looking absolutely outraged.

"Now, now, don't get all cranky over this – you look cuter when you're not mad," she said with a shrug as she walked past him.

Drakken grinned at his rival's embarrassed expression. "Oooh, yes, you look so _cute_…hey, do we get to eat some?" he asked, hopefully glancing at the tray – working on laser cannons always made him hungry.

"Of course – I had baked them for my monkey muffin, but it looks like I better leave him alone for a while. Cupcake?" she asked, handling the tray to Killigan and Motor Ed as well.

"Sure!" Motor Ed grabbed a handful of cupcakes and turned to Killigan "hey, dude, aren't you taking any?"

"I'm not hungry," the golfer grumbled.

"Oh, I insist – you have to take one," Amy insisted, showing the tray under his nose, and she seemed absolutely delighted as he finally took one and stuffed it in his mouth "do you like them?"

"Aye, not bad," he admitted somewhat grudgingly, avoiding to look at her.

"Perfect – I wasn't sure if they could come out as well as they would in a proper oven. Want some?" she asked, tuning to Frugal Lucre – who had been sitting in a corner actually doing nothing useful and complaining about how expensive the whole thing was.

"Free cupcakes? Oh, sure!" he said enthusiastically, taking one for himself.

"Now, now," Amy chided as Drakken tried to grab another handful "eating to many at once could upset your tummy. We'll keep the rest for later, won't we?"

"Right," Dementor rolled his eyes, avoiding to look at the tray "hov about getting to vork? You still haven't come up vith anything useful," he pointed out, still slightly insulted by how she had used his death ray to bake cupcakes. Alright, he had stolen a device once just because it made great hot chocolate, but still…!

"Killjoy," Drakken grumbled, but he turned his attention back to the laser cannon he was building. As much as he hated to admit it, he was right – they had been losing too much time. It wasn't like the Lowardians were going to wait for them to be ready after all.

"Oh," DNAmy said, looking a little troubled as she observed the weapons around her as if she hadn't noticed them before "but we're not going to have to really…hurt anyone, right?"

"Och, of course not," Killigan grunted "we'll just kindly ask them to go away, offer them cupcakes…"

She bit her lower lips. "But these…these things don't look nice at all," she said, pointing at the various weapons that were scattered around the lab.

"We're not nice people, lass," Killigan said "and neither are the ones who are getting here to invade us."

"Yes, but those weapons are awfully expensive," Frugal Lucre piped in, causing everyone to groan "I think we could get rid of them with less expensive stuff. I read a book--"

"Aw, please!" Drakken snapped "aren't you supposed to be brining out Gemini's dog anyway?"

"Don't be a meanie," Amy chided him "let him speak!"

"Oh…thanks," Frugal Lucre said a little uncertainly "so, I read this book…it was on a discont at Smarty Market – 'War of Worlds', it was called…in which aliens are defeated by a bacteria, or a virus or something…"

"Seriously, dude, it's a book you're talking about," Motor Ed rolled his eyes "it's not real."

"Besides, ze aliens didn't shov any veakness to any bacteria vhen zey got here," Dementor pointed out.

"That's one dumb idea, lad. I mean, how do ye think--"

"He's right!"

"Uh?"

Everybody turned to glance at DNAmy, whose face was positively gleaming. "You're a genius!" she exclaimed, giving Frugal Lucre a pat on the back that almost made him fall face down on the ground.

"…I am?" he asked, looking rather confused – it wasn't something he had heard often.

"Yes, you are! We could create some kind of…illness that will only affect Lowardians – like…like a biological weapon! This way they will be forced to leave, and we wouldn't have to kill them!"

There was a brief silence following her words. "Aye," Killigan finally said, looking rather impressed "it's so dumb that it just might work."

Motor Ed shrugged. "Count me out – I'm not into that stuff. How about you two?" he asked, turning to Drakken and Dementor.

"I guess I could help with something like that," Drakken admitted "then again, we have no idea of what kind of bacteria or…virus, or whatever could affect them."

"Ja, ve vould need one of ze aliens to run some tests, maybe a blood sample, some DNA…"

"But we wouldn't need to hurt them, right?" DNAmy asked, looking once again worried.

"Well, if it's not necessary…" Motor Ed said with a shrug.

"Aye, but that brings us back to the weapons," Killigan pointed out "if we want to get our hands onto one of them, we must be ready to fight them first _and _take prisoners."

"He's right," Drakken said with a shrug "we gotta be ready for them first, which means we have to finish with these," he gestured to the weapons he was working on "and when we manage to get our hand on one of them, we'll try out that biological weapon idea. Aren't you working on something vicious and bloodthirsty?"

Amy seemed slightly disappointed as she glanced at the laser cannon Drakken was building, but she didn't protest and went to check something over her DNA mixer. "Yes, I am," she said "but I'm not sure it is such a good idea. Last time I created a nasty creature, things went out of control."

Drakken shuddered at the memory. "Yeah, I remember," he grumbled "we should find a way to control them…"

"Hov about a mind-controlling device?" Dementor suggested "if it can control a complex zing like human brain, it can control some beast's mind as vell."

"Ohh, that sounds perfect! Could you create one already?"

"I could do zat with my eyes closed – unlike ze _incompetent _here," he added, glaring at Drakken.

"Incompetent?" Drakken protested "I am the only one who defeated the aliens here!"

"Using my idea!"

"Not true! It was my scheme! I came up with it all by myself!"

"Oh, please! You aren't zat _clever…_!"

DNAmy sighed. "Oh, do they just have to fight like that?"

"Yeah," Motor Ed said with a shrug, then he turned to Killigan with a grin as she walked away "…so?"

"So what?"

"_Seriously_, dude," his grin widened as he gestured to Amy "you ain't gonna give up on the babe without a fight, do you?"

"What!" Killigan nearly bellowed, but he got a grip of himself "what the _heck_ are ye talking about, lad?"

"C'mon, it's clear you have a thing for-- hey!" he protested as Killigan grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"That's the most _stupid_ thing I ever heard, lad!" he barked, his face reddening with fury "ye better not saying anything like that again!"

"Okay, okay – relax, dude," Motor Ed said as Killigan finally released him and let him stumble back "seriously, if you want to let the monkey get your chick, suit yourse-- ouch!" he yelped as a screwdriver was thrown with considerable strength against his head, causing him to collapse on the floor.

"Oh, poor sweetie!" Amy said as she rushed by his senseless form "what happened?"

"Sorry," Killigan grumbled, his eyes still fixed on the bomb he was putting together as he almost viciously tore some wires he had connected to the wrong part "it slipped off my hands."

* * *

"But we gotta tell _someone_ about this," Wade insisted, running a hans through his hair.

"Okay, okay, we will," Ron held up his hands as Rufus tried to help him getting out from his battlesuit "just…let's wait a little more, alright?"

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"I want to see what this thing is about. I _think_ – it is that…monkey magic thing, but I want to be sure."

The boy frowned a little. He had always been a little reluctant at believing in magic…but he honestly couldn't come up with any logic explanation for Ron's sudden display of power.

"Besides, it could be just a one-time thing," Ron added "I mean…it happened once, it could never happen again. I didn't manage to do it again when I tried, right?"

"Yes, but--"

"Look, I want to be sure it is something useful before I start talking about it and make people think it is a solution," he shrugged "things don't always turn out well when people rely on me."

"That's not true, Ron!" Wade protested, suddenly worried by the serious expression on his friend's face. He had never heard him speaking like that. "Kim couldn't save the world without you, and you know that."

Ron blushed slightly. "Yeah, I guess…uh…" he cleared his throat "okay, let's make a deal – if this thing shows up again, we'll tell the others about it. Okay?"

Wade was about to protest, then he sighed. "Okay. But if it shows up again, if you see the faintest blue glow on you…then we'll tell the others and try to understand what it is – it _could_ help against the aliens. Deal?"

Ron nodded and held up his thumb with a weak smile. "Deal," he said as Wade stepped out of the room to let him change back in his clothes. "Hey, Rufus, don't look at me that way," he protested as he reached for his shirt "put yourself in my--"

"I see your moment is drawing nearer, Ron Stoppable."

"_Eep!"_ Ron nearly shrieked as he heard an familiar voice coming from behind him, and he scrambled to somewhat cover himself as he turned to face the floating image of Sensei, wondering why did he just _have_ to do the ghost thing and pay a visit right while he was in his underwear.

* * *

Monkey Fist gave a sigh of utter relief as he finally sat at the desk in his…well, he guessed he could start to refer to it as a room more than as a cell – especially since he was no longer locked in. Not that he was eager to get out anyway, he thought with a shudder. He honestly couldn't tell who he dreaded the most – DNAmy or the Han. And he would have to face them sooner or later – them, and Ron Stoppable.

He sighed, rubbing his temples to get rid of the awful headache that had begun building in his skull. He was pretty certain it was a consequence of hearing so much noise and having to endure so much light while he still wasn't used to it, and in part it was true – but little he knew that the most violent pang had happened in the same instant a certain blond-haired boy had managed to unlock temporary the ancient power they shared.

That thought didn't even occur to him, especially since for the first time in years unleashing the portion of Mystical Monkey Power he had in him wasn't his priority: the Power of Yono was all he could think about now as he glanced down at the papers one of the GJ agents had given him. He had to admit that their means of research were extremely quick – all the better, he mused as he grabbed one of the documents. He'd soon be able to unlock and use the power – the doubt he could indeed not be the new Yono didn't even cross his mind anymore – and wipe away those fools that wanted to control him from existence, he thought viciously.

Ron Stoppable would of course be the first one on his list…no, wait, maybe DNAmy would be. And then Kim Possible, and that annoying one-eyed woman that had dared to give him _orders_, and…no, Senior could be spared, he decided, and so could any other villain that would be wise enough to not step in his way.

As for the Han, he knew he was going to have to be careful. She had defeated the previous Yono, and that tricky creature has more control over its powers that he could hope to acquire anytime soon. He would probably lock her up somewhere, and maybe, _maybe_ give another try at luring her to the dark side.

In any case, that infant wasn't going to get anywhere near any source of _music_ ever again, he promised himself as he began reading the information GJ had so graciously gathered for him. It was still rather hard for his eyes to focus on the words and reading made his headache worse, but he didn't want to lose another minute – he was getting used to it quickly anyway.

_Only a clear mind, focus, and a deep knowledge of the ancient power can unleash the power that rests within the Yono. The first step to unlock it…_

…yes, that was most interesting, indeed. Until then he had only collected information about how to control the Yono, but he hadn't bothered in finding out how the Yono unleashed its power and what _possessing_ it would mean. It had been a mistake – a grave one – but he could put a remedy to that now, couldn't he?

Monkey Fist gave a low chuckle as he resumed reading, an insane grin widening on his face.


	7. Waiting

_A/N: yes, I know this is an awfully late update – sorry about that, but it was one busy and overall crappy month. I'm so happy it's almost over XD  
_

_Enjoy._

_

* * *

  
_

"You know, dude, it's not like I don't appreciate your visits…especially when you don't use mystery meat to write on the wall," Ron said, quickly putting his shirt on and wondering if it was some kind of course – of all people he knew, he wasn't sure there was anyone who hadn't seen him without his pants at least once "but, uh…couldn't you warn before doing the ghost-thing? I could be sitting on the toilet or something right now, and it wouldn't really be fun…"

"My apologies, Stoppable-san," Sensei said, bowing his head slightly "I was impatient to see you as soon as I sensed your powers growing."

"My powers? Oh, right, the blue thing! So it is monkey power…thing, right?" he asked, rather unsure if he should feel disturbed by the thought – he still had a little problem with monkeys, and the whole Yono thing hadn't helped – or excited because maybe, just _maybe_ that could mean he would actually be able to _help_ against the Lowardians.

"Yes, Mystical Monkey Power is getting stronger inside you," Sensei said solemnly, apparently oblivious that his audience was scrambling to get his pants on "you are almost ready, Stoppable-san. Almost ready to unleash your power and take your rightful place as the Monkey Master."

"Uh…yeah, that's cool," Ron said as he finally succeeded to put his pants back on "do you _really_ think I am the Monkey Master anyway?" he asked, looking rather sceptical."

"I've always been certain you are, and the way you used your powers earlier proves it. You are the Monkey Master."

"Well, about that…there's just one problem – it seems like it's a one-time thing. It didn't happen when I tried again."

"The fact you managed to unleash it once is a victory already – now that you unlocked it, there is nothing stopping you from using it."

"But I didn't manage to do that again!"

"That's simply because you keep rejecting it," the old man said calmly "I have to correct myself – there is one thing that is stopping you from using your powers, and it's yourself."

"Hey, not true! I really tried to so the whole blue glow thing again…!"

"Yes, you tried – but deep inside, you still reject that power. That rejection is what blocks it from unleashing its full potential, Stoppable-san; you must accept it, let it become one with your being. You must not give up at the first attempt – it requires time and concentration to actually control Mystical Monkey Power…"

"Er…yeah. The problem is, I kinda lack of time. I kinda lack of focus too, really," Ron said with a sheepish grin "isn't there some intensive training thing for that or something? Like that 'learn a language in a week' stuff you can find in libraries…"

"You can't achieve much in little time, Stoppable-san," Sensei replied, looking slightly amused.

Ron groaned inwardly – that guy sounded too much like Kim when she told him that no, he couldn't print out something from the net and pretend it was his own work for school. "But I _have_ little time, Sensei!" he insisted, "I don't know if you got the news lately in Yamanouchi, but Earth could go bye-bye pretty soon."

"Yes, I am aware of this threat," Sensei said with a sigh "and it is true that you have little time. Then again, this could help. Maybe being under a such pressure could help you unleashing your powers as you did before."

"Er…good!" Ron said, trying to sound optimistic "speaking of pressure…how about starting now?"

Sensei raised an eyebrow. "Starting?"

"Well, with the training, or whatever you have in mind to make me start using the…_monkey magic_ here," Ron shuddered just a little "…you _are_ going to teach me, right?" he added as Sensei slowly shook his head.

"I'm afraid I have nothing to teach you, Stoppable-san. I don't know anything about Mystical Monkey power that I haven't told you already."

Ron blinked. "What? Hey, wait – there's gotta be something more! I can't make it by myself, I have no time and I don't even know how to start! Isn't there anyone that can help me out?"

"Well…" Sensei frowned in thought before speaking again "I can only think of one person that could help you getting more aquatinted to your powers, but I don't know how willing he would be to do so…"

"No problem, I'll convince him somehow," Ron waved his hand with a grin "out with the name!"

The old man raised an eyebrow, saying nothing. The silence lasted a few more moments, then Ron's grin slowly began to fade.

"…wait. Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"I'm afraid so. There is no one else besides you and him who has been exposed to Mystical Monkey Power."

"And I should ask him to _help me_ controlling it?" Ron nearly shrieked "he'd kill me just for _asking_!"

Sensei chuckled. "As long as the Han is by your side, I doubt he would get so bold. Besides, I honestly don't see many options. As you pointed out, there isn't much time left."

"Are you kidding? He would never help me to control this stuff! He thinks I deserve to die just because I got it stealing it from him!"

Sensei frowned slightly. "Monkey Fist is nothing but an arrogant fool. Mystical Monkey Power never belonged and will never belong to him – it belongs to you. It is your destiny, not his. He will have to accept it sooner or later."

Ron honestly still had his doubts about the whole Monkey Master thing, but he decided to forget about it for now – he had more important matters to take care of…such as learning how to control that monkey magic stuff as soon as he could, no matter if it belonged to him or not. "Dude, he will never accept it. Trying to kick sense in him is like trying to kick sense into a rock," he paused "hey, that was a good one!"

"In that case, he's simply dooming himself to a life of endless defeats," the old man stated "but that hardly matters now – whatever he does with himself is none of our concern."

"Uh…yeah, but whatever he does with _me_ is of _my_ concern. He's the new Yono, you know," Ron paused "…is he?"

"Yes, he is the Yono now – but you don't have to worry about it. Not if you manage to gain control of your powers before he gains control of his at least."

Ron groaned. "I'm _so_ screwed."

"You should have more faith in yourself, Stoppable-san," the old man mildly chided him "years taught me many things, but if there is one thing I learned above any doubt is that destiny cannot be stopped. I'm certain you will be ready to take your rightful place as the Monkey Master sooner than you think."

"But what if that's not soon _enough_?"

"The Han is by your side – as long as your love for her is unyielding, the Yono is hardly a threat to you and your loved ones..."

The thought seemed to rather reassure Ron. "Oh, right, that. Almost forgot," he grinned a little, wondering if he shouldn't take advantage of it and see what it could be like bossing him around just a little.

"…although you better not play with fire," Sensei added as if he had just read his mind, an hint of amusement in his voice, causing Ron to smile sheepishly.

"Er…of course not. I wasn't thinking to use Hana to boss him around and have some fun. Not at all," he lied poorly, causing the old man to raise an eyebrow "okay, maybe the idea kinda crossed my mind, but…" he sighed ad held up his hands "okay, forget it. I won't."

"Wise decision, Stoppable-san," Sensei said, smiling faintly "I wish you good luck – have the ferocity of the ancients within you. Never forget that."

"Uh?" Ron blinked "hey, wait! Could, you…sum up what I have to do a little? I got lost towards the end."

"Believe in yourself, Stoppable-san, and accept your powers. Let them guide you, and you will be unstoppable," he said, his voice starting to fade just like his ghost-like form "claim your place as the Monkey Master and protect your loved ones."

"Oookay…" Ron muttered, glancing down at Rufus "did you write that down? Learn to control some freaky monkey power I never wanted to have, avoid being killed by the guy I took them from, defeat nine-feet tall aliens with uber-mega-ultra technological weapons…is that all?"

Rufus nodded, scribbling something on a notebook he had apparently produced from nowhere. "Uh-hu, that's all."

"Great! So that's all I gotta do," Ron exclaimed enthusiastically, then he paused, his small wavering and finally vanishing "…I'm so screwed."

* * *

"What in the world…?" Monkey Fist's eyes snapped open as a low, threatening rumble reached his still sensitive ears, snapping him from his meditation. He jumped on his feet, immediately taking a fighting stance as that rumbling sound filled the room again. His blue eyes carefully scanned his surroundings, trying to find the source of the threatening sound.

"What's there?" he snarled as he heard that rumble , the room seemed to be empty. For a moment he thought it could be a earthquake, but nothing in the room was moving. Monkey Fist frowned, lowering his arms…then he finally glanced down as he realized what the source of that rumbling sound was – his own stomach. "…oh."

Monkey Fist had always had a high opinion of himself, but there were some occasions, however rare, in which he actually felt like an idiot – and this was one of those. He frowned as a thought crossed his mind for the first time: _when_ had he eaten last time? He honestly couldn't recall, but it had certainly been before his…accident with the Han, which had occurred, from what he had gathered, more than four months before.

Quite impressive, he thought as his stomach grumbled again. And he hadn't eaten after he was awakened…had it been the previous day? Two days before? He honestly couldn't tell for certain, especially since he had probably spent some time drifting in and out of consciousness, and after that he had been too busy trying to adjust the new situation – having to escape DNAmy had been quite a distraction as well – and trying to find out more about the nature of the powers he _hoped_ he had gained to bother much with trivial things like eating.

Trivial or not, he thought with a hint of amusement as his stomach protested again, he better actually eat something now. He hadn't even noticed how hungry he was until now, but he guessed this had something to do with the fact he was – he _probably_ was – the Yono. He hadn't actually explored the subject, but he got the impression the Yono didn't actually require either food or water in order to survive: its power made the Yono virtually immortal. The mere idea of gaining immortality caused him to grin excitedly but the grin vanished as his stomach grumbled again.

Well, _needing_ food or not was beside the point: he was _hungry_. His body probably still wasn't used to the fact it didn't actually need food, he mused as he walked outside – the light was annoying, but not nearly as blinding it had felt before, and he simply _refused_ to wear sunglasses again – and neither was his mind.

He would have to start training himself to stay without nourishment later, but as for now he had no time for that: the most important thing now was trying to create a connection between his mind and the power within him – because there _was_ a power in him that was not Mystical Monkey Power, he could _sense_ it – and he would need all his concentration to do so.

He would be able to meditate again once his body's requirements were satisfied, he decided, looking around. Now he just had to find a way to the kitchen, or…whenever the food was kept. After all, he used to explore forests and ancient temples filled with traps – how hard could it be finding his way in a lair like that one?

* * *

"Tsk tsk."

Drakken gritted his teeth as he heard his cousin clicking his tongue disapprovingly as he watched him work. It was annoying to say the least – wasn't he supposed to be working on his own stuff anyway?

"Aw, _c'mon_…"

Drakken took a deep breath and did his best to ignore him as he kept working on the laser cannon. Now he just had to connect those wires to--

"No, no, _no_!" Ed protested "you're doing it all wrong, seriously! That is supposed to be…"

"A laser cannon, right!" Drakken snapped "not a _car_. A _weapon_. And _I'm_ the expert here!" he pointed out, his eyes still fixed on the wires he was working with.

"A expert? Ah, hardly," Dementor piped in, stopping to work onto the mind-control chip DNAmy had required him "you can't even tell the difference between…vhat?" he asked with a frown as Motor Ed approached one of the machines he had been working on and shook his head disapprovingly. That guy was even more annoying than his cousin sometimes.

"You're totally doing it wrong too, dude, that's what," Ed said with a shrug, causing Dementor to grit his teeth – criticism had never been something he was willing to take.

"Oh, really? And vhat exactly am I doing vrong?"

"Well, it could work this way too, but you'll be wasting a lot of energy, seriously" he reached for the some tools "if you let me modify…_ouch_!" he yelped as Dementor hit his hand with a pipe wrench "relax, dude, seriously!" he protested he examined his hand.

"My vork doesn't need any modification," Dementor pointed out, looking almost outraged "unlike your incompetent cousin's, _my_ devices alvays vorked!"

"Hey, I heard you!"

Motor Ed took advantage of the quarrelling to step away from Dementor – that pipe wrench had _hurt_ – and walk near Killigan,

"You know, dude…"

"Don't even start with _me_, lad," Killigan grumbled "I know what I'm doing."

Ed held up his hands. "Okay, okay, don't be so touchy, seriously. I ain't into explosives anyway," he said with a shrug.

"Fine. Aren't ye supposed to be working on something?" the golfer asked, briefly glancing at the huge mechanical…_thing_ Ed had been working until a few minutes before.

Motor Ed gave a low whistle. "You didn't take that joke so well – I was just kidding, seriously," he said almost resentfully, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't like kidding."

"Seriously, you could have broken my skull or something…"

"Just thank that ridiculous mullet of yers, lad, because it _would_ have broken yer skull otherwise," Killigan said with a grimace, glancing to the corned of the huge lab where DNAmy's stuff had been placed.

She had left with Frugal Lucre when he had gone outside for Gemini's dog usual walk – she had said there was no point in staying cooped up inside until those mind-control chips to control any…thing she would create were ready anyway – and Killigan hoped she hadn't been stupid enough to bring that dogster thing with her. Considering the reaction that stupid dog had to it and how fiercely devoted to that oversized rat Gemini was, it definitely wouldn't be a good idea – he didn't think that guy would hesitate blasting her if and that dogster thing if his dog was scared.

…why should he even _care_ about what would happen to her if she was stupid enough to anger Gemini anyway?

"Seriously, you have some temper trouble, dude – just like the green babe. Have you ever tried anger management or something? Seriously."

Killigan gritted his teeth and glared at him. "Lad, ye have five seconds before I--" he trailed off as a beeping sound suddenly filled the lab "…what?"

"Oh, it's ready!" Drakken exclaimed, stopping yelling against Dementor "it's ready!"

"Ready? Vhat is ready?" Dementor asked with a frown as Drakken walked to something resembling a large oven and opened it.

"Och, lad, are ye baking cupcakes too?" Killigan asked with a grin, causing both Motor Ed and Dementor to snicker.

"If he's as lousy at baking as he is at evil, I'm not having any," Dementor said, crossing his arms.

"How funny," Drakken grumbled, sticking out his tongue at him as he carefully put something resembling to a large bowl on a table "don't get near this stuff for a while, it's still boiling…"

Motor Ed leaned forward to take a peek. "Bleach! I ain't eating any of that, seriously!" he said, looking at what seemed some kind of greenish slime. Killigan, on the other hand, didn't seem impressed – but seriously, Ed thought, what can you expect from a dude who eats sheep lungs cooked in its own stomach?

"You don't have to _eat_ it," Drakken snapped, rather dramatically pointing at the…stuff inside the bowl "this is what will make us win this war!"

"Aye, right. What's the big plan, blue boy, feeding the aliens poisoned soup?"

"Ha-ha. How funny," Drakken grumbled, scowling "this acid will be the key to destroy the Lowardian weapons."

"Acid? Zat zing doesn't even melt ze _bovl_!"

"Because it's made to melt the material _Lowardian_ stuff is made of – and I'll prove it!" the blue skinned scientist stomped across the lab to get a sample they had gotten from a shattered Lowardian pod, then he walked back to the table and dropped it inside the bowl. There was a loud hiss, then the material simply melted. "See? It works!" Drakken boasted, grinning at Dementor "now imagine what will happen when huge quantities of this will hit their pods and…whatever weapon they'll bring with them," he added, puffing out his chest "their weapons will just _melt_ in their hands! So, who's the genius no-- ow!"

"You're the genius, cousin, seriously!" Motor Ed, said, enthusiastically patting is back and almost causing him to fall face forward into the bowl of still boiling acid "this almost makes up for your lack of mechanical skills!"

"Hey!" Drakken protested, both because he had nearly gotten his face boiled away and because of his cousin's comment about his mechanical skills.

"Ja, not zat bad for a beginner," Dementor grumbled, clearly annoyed by the fact Drakken's idea really seemed a valid one for once.

"_Beginner?_ I got into evil way before you did!"

"You vish. Unless you're counting zat failed attempt at building some female robot on college as evil," Dementor snickered "I vonder vhat use a guy vho couldn't get a _real_ date could have for zem…"

"Ew," Motor Ed made a face "I didn't know you were that desperate, cousin, seriously."

Killigan seemed just as disgusted. "Och, lad, I could have lived a happy life without knowing that…"

"I…I…_that's not true_!" Drakken sputtered, his blue face turning nearly purple both in rage and embarrassment – how the heck did Dementor know he didn't have a date on college anyway? "I'd never get _that_ low!"

Dementor grinned, clearly satisfied by his rivals' evident embarrass "Really?"

"Really!" his rival bellowed "Can't anyone appreciate my genius here? I came up with something that will really work against the Lowardians, in case you haven't noticed!" he nearly whined.

"Seriously, I _did_ say you're a genius, cousin," Motor Ed said, holding up his hands "you totally need to relax a little, seriously."

"Aye, no need to tie yer knickers in a knot, blue boy. Did ye expect us to stare at ye in awe or something?"

Drakken folded his arms. "Well, that would have been nice," he muttered, causing Dementor to snort.

"You knov, just because ze vorld treats you like a _hero_," he mockingly emphasized the last word "it doesn't mean ve vill too. Maybe ze do-gooders vill give you another medal to zeir _hero_."

"Nghhh!" Drakken grunted "you're just jealous, that's what!"

"Jealous of _you_? Don't make me laugh!"

"Oh yes, you are!"

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I never vanted to be a _hero_ to begin vith!"

"Yeah, but you're mad because I got _recognition_ for my genius from everyone and you didn't!" Drakken exclaimed with a triumphant note in his voice, his index finger poking his rival's chest almost forcefully.

"Ow, that stung," Killigan said quietly, and Motor Ed nodded.

"Seriously."

Dementor gritted his teeth. "You vish! You're just a failure as a villain, zat's it! And ze one plan zat vorked vas _my_ idea," he took a step forward, causing Drakken to step back "a lousy scientist like you vouldn't be able to come up vith a decent scheme in a _billion_ years!"

"Well, fine! We'll see who'll be the one to make us win this war!" Drakken muttered, turning and stomping outside to find Shego – at least she _would_ appreciate his genius! Well, actually she had never seemed to be impressed by his schemes and would probably come up with some sarcastic remark about this one as well, but whatever. He wanted to talk with her – being teased by her was always better than listening to Dementor's ramblings anyway, he thought grimly as he stormed outside, almost bumping into the person getting inside the lab in that same moment.

"What happened here?" DNAmy asked, giving at Drakken's back a concerned look as he walked away "he seems so upset…!"

"Och, he just had an argument with the _genius_ here," Killigan said sarcastically, getting a furious look from Dementor "he went whining somewhere, but he'll get over it. Everything normal in a normal day," he frowned as he noticed the…dogster _thing_ cradled in her arms, waving its tail "what is that doing here?"

"Oh, Lucy felt lonely, so I decided to let her out," Amy said happily, apparently unaware of Killigan's disgusted expression "but I had to bring her away before poor Frugal Lucre got in any trouble with Gemini again – you know, for the dog. Pepe really seems to get nervous around her for some reason."

Killigan raised an eyebrow as Lucy snapper her pinchers at him. "Aye, I wonder _why_."

Amy giggled, clearly missing his point. "You know what? I think Pepe really likes her. Isn't it cute?"

The golfer blinked, briefly wondering if she were playing dumb, but a glance to her almost disturbingly cheerful smile as she petted that monstrosity's head was enough for him to decide she most likely just _was_ dumb. At least in that regard. "_Like_ her? Lass, that dog is terrified by yer…uh…pet."

"Oh, but animals are so like humans in this – when you like someone, you can get nervous around them, you know," she said with a chuckle "like my Montykins!" she added, and Killigan made a face.

"Yeah, that's true – they can get _nervous_, seriously," Motor Ed piped in, raising his gaze from…whatever thing he was working on and rubbing the back of his head "I have a bump to prove it," he added, glancing at Killigan with something too similar to a grin for the golfer's tastes.

"Shut yer trap!" Killigan barked, causing Ed to shrug and turn his attention to his work again.

"Oh, you really shouldn't be so mean to each other," Amy chided him, putting Lucy on the ground "we are supposed to be working together, aren't we?"

"This doesn't mean we have to be best buddies," he grumbled, glancing at the dogster as it began walking around the lab, clearly curious about its surroundings.

"Definitely _not_," Dementor snapped from his desk, causing Killigan and Motor Ed to exchange a quick glance – for some reason, they got the feeling Drakken's accusation of being jealous for the recognition he got had struck a nerve.

DNAmy seemed about to scold him as well, but she seemed to changer her mind as she saw what Dementor was working on. "Oh, are those the mind-control chips I asked you?"

"Precisely. I have some of zem ready – even ze buffoons of GJ vould be able to replicate as many chips you vant," he said, holding up a mind-control chip.

Amy seemed delighted. "That's perfect! As soon as I have enough, I can start creating living weapons without having to worry about them turning against us," she said. Killigan blinked, surprised by how she spoke of such stuff as if she were talking about puppies or something. Maybe Kim Possible's dumb sidekick was right, she _really_ was more dangerous than he would have thought by looking at her.

"We should tell the one-eyed babe about it then," Motor Ed said "isn't that chick scary, by the way?"

"Aye, not someone I would want to have mad at me – Gemini is the only one stupid enough to do that. Shouldn't ye be more worried about Shego?" Killigan asked with a grin.

"Nah, no need to worry," Motor Ed waved his hand dismissively "she's just crazy for me, dude, believe me. She just needs to snap out of her denial, seriously," he said.

Killigan suppressed a snicker. "Denial. Aye, right…"

"Dude, just wait and see. She'll fall for me eventually, serious-- OW!" he yelped as Lucy, probably wanting to be friendly, suddenly reached out with a pincher and playfully pinched his leg.

"Lucy! You meanie, you know you shouldn't do that!" she chided her pet taking her back in her arms, and this time neither Killigan or Dementor could hold back a laugh.

"Och, not bad for a mutated freak," Killigan snickered, ignoring Motor Ed's glare as he reached to scratch the dogster's ears, causing it to wave its tail appreciatively and try to lick his hand.

"Aw, I told you she likes you," Amy cooed, suddenly stopping to fuss over Ed to turn his attention back to him and the creature in her arms with a wide smile "I was sure you two would get alone eventually!"

"Er…I just said it's not _that_ bad," Killigan tried to point out, retreating his hand before the creature decided to show his affection the way it had with Motor Ed.

"Oh, you guys always want to seem so rough," she elbowed him in a supposedly friendly fashion, causing him to gasp for breath "Monty Wonty always does the same, but I know it's just pretend!"

"It's not," Killigan muttered with a grimace, turning to glance around so he wouldn't have to see either her disturbingly cheerful expression or the grin on Motor Ed's face.

* * *

Shego grumbled something unintelligible to herself as she walked out from her room, a scowl on her face, absentmindedly running a towel through her still damp hair. She usually felt rather content after having a good fight, especially when her opponent was Kim, but this time she just felt awfully annoyed by the teen's insistence about her…simply non-existing feelings for Drakken.

For _Drakken_. Ridiculous. The mere idea was so stupid that she almost felt like laughing. Why did Kim's taunts annoy her like that anyway? She knew it wasn't true, so it should have been easy to shrug it off. Maybe she was just stressed because of the upcoming war, that was all – after all, it doesn't happen everyday that aliens are getting ready to destroy your planet. She had hoped a nice showed would have helped her to relax, but it clearly hadn't worked. Well, maybe the sauna would – the old man had said there was one in the lair, but he hadn't mentioned _where_. But what the heck, it had to be around there…ah, there it was!

"Shego!"

…_aw, c'mon, not now!_

"What?" she asked with an inward sigh as she turned to face Drakken, her hand still on the handle "you have ten seconds before I get in, so be quick."

Drakken gave her an almost hurt expression. "Shego! This is important! I just found the key to defeat aliens!" he exclaimed in triumph, sounding just like he did when rambling about how the plan would _certainly_ work and how he _would_ be ruling the world before dinner.

"Really?" was all she said flatly, raising an eyebrow as he kept blabbering about some kind of acid he had created. Okay, his last plan against aliens had worked, but since it had only happened that one time she wasn't really sure he could repeat that miracle at all, and…and…

…did he just _have_ to keep gloating like a child talking about some present they got for Christmas? It was annoying, that was it. Was he expecting her to clap her hands or something? Was he expecting her to _admire_ him? Sorry, the thought feeling oddly angry for no real reason, that wasn't going to happen.

"Okay, nice, whatever," she waved her hand, opening the door "you had your ten seconds. Why don't you talk about it with Dr. Big Boss anyway? She's the one who can make something out of it," she said dryly, walking inside the sauna without even looking at him.

"But, Shego…!" he began to protest, only to be cut off by the door slamming closed. He stared at the door for a few moments, disappointed. He had expected her to make some sarcastic remark, but not to leave like that right away – what was the matter with her anyway? He just wanted to gloat a little, that was all. Was it too much asking her to _listen_? They hadn't gotten many occasions to speak since when they had gotten in that lair, and he rather missed that.

Well, no, he didn't _really_ miss it – of course not – but over the years it had became such a routine for them to spend a lot of time getting on each other's nerves that it felt odd not hearing any sarcastic comment or snarky remark from her every moment. And she seemed to have fun when she teased him, so why didn't she just stop for a moment to do that before leaving? It wasn't like he actually _enjoyed_ being teased by her or something, but still…!

Drakken grimaced and walked back to the lab, his good mood suddenly gone.

* * *

Senior Senior Sr. couldn't help but feel slightly guilty as he pressed the button to switch the main screen on. Since that screen was their most important mean of communication in the lair, he had recommended everyone to not use it for personal purposes – they better always have it ready for whatever urgent communication from either GJ, WEE or the government they could get, he had said – but right now he simply couldn't help himself.

After all, he mused, glancing at the child that was now sleeping on his knees after spending a couple of hours repeating any word he said, it would only take a few minutes. He simply needed a few minutes to make sure his son was alright, and then he would switch the screen off again. He usually didn't go against any rule he set, but he wasn't used at being separated from his son for so long, and as much as he didn't like to think about it…well, with an invasion coming, any day could be the last day he got a chance to speak with him.

"Father!" Junior's voice snapped him from his thoughts as he appeared the screen – he was wearing a swimsuit, the old man wasn't surprised to notice. He was quite certain his on would be spending most of his time at the pool of the hideout he had sent him to together with his…girlfriend.

"Junior," he said, a hint of relief in his voice – which was ridiculous, since it wasn't like he had been in danger, but still… "is everything alright there, son?"

"Yes, sure – well, it was until a moment ago. I was in the tanning bed," Junior pouted as if he had just been taken from a relaxing vacation for some hard work "why did you call?"

"I merely wanted to make sure--" he trailed off as a feminine voice came from off screen.

"Junior, I've finished the sunscreen! Bring me some more!"

"I'll be there in a moment, my sweet," Junior called back, and Senior Senior Sr. briefly wondered what exactly in Bonnie Rockwaller could be defined as 'sweet' "I have to go now, father – see you, okay?"

The old man sighed. "Yes, of course," he said "but, Junior--" he trailed off as the screen went black once again – his son had interrupted the communication. He sighed, leaning back on his seat and glancing down at Hana, who was still sleeping on his knees. "I hope your parents will appreciate every moment they spend with you," he mumbled, absentmindedly gazing ahead and trying to not think that there was a concrete possibility her parents wouldn't even be able to see her again should they lose that war. Just like he could never get another chance to see Junior.

The mere idea made him feel horribly powerless. Since the moment Junior was born he had done everything, absolutely _everything_ in his power to protect him and make sure everything would always be easy for him. In retrospect he knew it had probably been a mistake, but he always had the best intentions, and Junior knew it. Well, he _hoped_ he knew it.

But this time, anything he did to protect him could be useless – should the Lowardians win the war, they all would most likely be doomed, no matter what. That was a threat he couldn't protect his son from. And even if they won the war, there was another threat he couldn't protect him from – Bonnie Rockwaller.

The fact he didn't like that girl was no secret to Junior – she was self-centered, arrogant, quite rude and overall unpleasant in his opinion – but that had done nothing to make him change his mind. It had always been rare for Junior to actually make a stand against his father's wishes, but this time he had been adamant: he seemed to be absolutely certain she was the right girl for him, and wouldn't let his father question him. This had made Senior Senior Sr. both oddly proud and terribly worried. Maybe it was unfair of him, but that Rockwaller girl reminded him too much of Junior's mother for him to just be happy for his son without worrying.

Hadn't his marriage with that ambitious, calculating woman resulted in Junior's birth, he would have said it had been the greatest mistake of his life. But he was still young and foolish, and he hadn't realized her true intentions until the moment her lawyer had sent him a divorce notice, demanding half of his money for her to just disappear from his life. He had tried to refuse, but she hadn't hesitated to use his own son against him: she knew law would most likely be on her side when it came to the custody of the child, and she was certain he would do anything she asked for him. And she had been right: he had willingly given in, letting her take anything she wanted – _anything_, just as long as he didn't take his son away from him – and she had kept her promise to disappear as soon as she got her money. The mere idea Junior could get through the same experience made his blood boil.

Then again, maybe things wouldn't turn out that way for him after all – unpleasant as that girl he had chosen for himself could be, he had no real reason to believe she would be like his former wife. He didn't really know her…then again, Kim Possible did. He had nearly considered asking for her opinion, but he wasn't sure if it would really reassure him or rather add to his worries. Maybe he should try to speak with Junior one more time once the emergency was over, and--

"Excuse me," a polite, though slightly annoyed voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts "do you happen to know the way to the kitchen? I'm afraid your lair is bigger than I anticipated."

Senior Senior Sr. raised his gaze to see Monkey Fist standing a few feet from him, squinting slightly against the light – it had turned out that finding his way to the kitchen in that huge lair _wasn't _so easy after all.

Thankfully, the old man thought, the desk prevented him from seeing little Hana on his knees. It had taken a while to get him out of that closet last time he had seen her. "Yes, of course – my apologies, I should have let you know already, or at least offered you something to eat already. I've been a terrible host, I'm afraid."

"It's no trouble at all," Monkey Fist replied even though he couldn't help but think that yes, they definitely _could_ have at least taken the time to do that, considering the detail they considered him a living weapon to do their bidding – which was exactly the same way he had considered the previous Yono, but he was quick at chasing the thought away from his mind. Then again, Senior Senior Sr. had been the one who had gotten DNAmy off his back at least for now, and he was rather grateful to him for that. Besides, he was probably one of the few people in there he could have a civil conversation with. "I can get what I need by myself. I merely need to know the way."

"Of course. The kitchen is that way, you see – at then end of the corridor, and then downstairs," he pointed at the right corridor with his cane.

Monkey Fist nodded briefly. "Thank you very much," he said, tuning to walk away. The old man glanced briefly at his mutated hands and feet – he seemed to recall he had spend most of his family fortune, if not all of it, to get those limbs. A sudden thought hit him.

"Lord Fiske?"

"Yes?"

"Have you thought about your family's safety?" Senior Senior Sr. asked "I can provide your relatives a shelter, if Global Justice hasn't done it already."

Monkey Fist seemed surprised by his offer – it was clear he hadn't even thought about it. "Why, thank you for your offer, but I'm afraid I have to decline. I have no close relatives left."

"But you _do_ have other relatives, I suppose."

"No one I care about," the monkey man said dryly, "and, quite honestly, I don't think any protection you or anyone here could offer would make much difference should these…aliens actually take over the planet. I greatly appreciate your offer though," he added, wondering why the did he seem so saddened by his reply.

Senior Senior Sr. sighed before nodding. "I guess you're right," he muttered quietly as he monkey man left "it wouldn't make much difference."

* * *

"Kim? You okay?" Wade asked, stepping beside her. She nodded, absentmindedly, her gaze wandering through the landing spot – it was the only place she could go to get some fresh air without actually leaving the lair.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're never fine when you have that face," Wade replied with a shrug.

Kim frowned. "What face?"

"_This_ one. So, what's the sitch?" the boy asked with a smirk, causing Kim to chuckle.

"Nothing important, I'll get over it. I can do anything, remember?"

Wade blinked. From the first time since when she knew her, Kim didn't actually seem certain of what she was saying. "Have you heard from your parents yet?"

She shook her head. "No, but Dr. Director told me they are in a safe place," the grimaced "I didn't even get to speak to them again before I got involved into this."

Okay, Wade thought, so that was it. "Hey, it's not like you won't see them again," he said, trying to sound optimistic. If even _Kim Possible_ was pessimistic about their chances to win that war, they could as well blow up the planet right away and be done with it "and things are going well, you know. The battlesuits' production already started, and it's going faster than we hoped – even WEE is on it," the boy said almost cheerfully "I think Drakken came up with something – he was talking to Dr. Director about it a moment ago – and Dementor built some devices to make whatever creature DNAmy creates fight for us. And I don't know what Motor Ed is working on, but he seems proud of it."

"Wade, that guy's greatest pride is a _mullet_. It doesn't say much."

"Hey, he _is_ a mechanical genius – let's see what he's got. And Killigan got some kind of explosive ready, and according to the tests it seems really able to damage the material Lowardian stuff is made of. The GJ scientists are also making sure Lowardians won't be able to shut off the power to the planet next time."

"Looks like you had a lot of work to do," Kim said, and there was a slight hint of frustration in her voice.

"Uh…yeah," Wade blinked "Kim, what's the problem?"

"Nothing. I just can't stand the _waiting_," she frowned again and glanced up at the cloudless sky "until they get there, all I can do is training to be ready for them, nothing else – at least you get to do _something_. I can just _wait_," she added. Never in her life she had felt that…useless, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Yeah, but when they'll be here, it will be your turn," Wade raised his thumb "and you can do anything. I'm sure we'll win this war."

Kim grinned. "Sure," she said, looking a lot more optimistic "how's Ron doing with his battlesuit, by the way? I didn't find him in the training room."

"Uh…" Wade hesitated, wondering if she should tell her about Ron's amazing and sudden display of power, but he decided against it – he had promised Ron to keep his mouth shut…at least for time being "fine, really – he got rather good with it in just one session," he said – at least it wasn't a lie "I think he went to look for something to eat. Would it surprise you that he asked Senior Senior Sr. to send someone to get him some nacos?"

Kim laughed. "No, not really."

* * *

Yes, now he felt _definitely_ better, Monkey Fist mused as he swallowed another mouthful and glanced at the empty kitchen. He felt like he was starving and thus wasn't precisely following the proper etiquette while eating. Not that he really _cared_ of what anyone would think, but old habits die hard, and he didn't fancy the idea of having anyone looking at him right now. He was quite sure his mother would have throttled him if she ever saw him eating like that, he mused with a slight chuckle as he took another bite.

Good thing they weren't missing fresh fruit and vegetables, he thought. He was considering the idea of taking an apple or two, but his musings were suddenly interrupted by a familiar and much hated voice approaching.

"Fine, fine, I promise I'll tell someone…later, okay?" Ron repeated again, glancing down at Rufus "just give me a break, buddy – it's a lot of stuff to chew. Speaking of chew," he added as he opened the door, trying to somewhat change subject "do you think Senior got us some nacos? I feel like eating a ton of--" he trailed off, his mouth hanging open as he stood in the doorway

There was a moment of complete silence as Ron and his arch foe stared at each other. Monkey Fist glared darkly at him, and though the effect was made somewhat less intimidating by the fact he had a half-eaten banana in each hand and his mouth was so full that his face vaguely resembled a chipmunk's, it was still enough to give Ron the creeps.

If gaze could kill, he would have dropped dead that very instant – not that it surprised him, considering that they had never been best buddies anyway. Not ever. And if the detail he had taken MMP right under the monkey man's nose hadn't been enough to make him want him dead, Ron was pretty sure the fact he had actually had a hand in the events that had ended up with Monkey Fist being turned into a stone statue definitely hadn't helped.

_And I should ask this guy to teach me how to control the monkey magic? Riiiigh.  
_

"Er…" the boy swallowed nervously, finally breaking the unnerving, tense silence "so, you're up already, uh? Eheh, nice. It's a lovely day, isn't it? Do you know if there is any naco here?" he asked casually, as if really hoping the monkey man would simply reply to his question rather than trying to break his neck.

Fat chance.

"_You!" _the Monkey Fist snarled after swallowing, his voice dripping with hatred as he dropped both bananas and stepped forward, his bloodshot eyes fixed on him. No, he definitely wasn't up to tell him that yes, it was indeed a lovely day and that the nacos were in the pantry.

Ron took a step back too keep some distance between them, his brain racing at full speed. Well, he thought, when you are in the same room with a crazy monkey man that hates you, is probably powered up by some kind of ancient curse and clearly wants you dead, there is only one thing you can do.

Ron Stoppable turned on his heels before running out of the room at astonishing speed, screaming at the top of his lungs.


	8. News from the Solar System

_A/N: yes, I know, another late update. I'm sorry about that, but this month was another busy one. And here I thought being done with exams for time being would give me some more spare time - I'm always too optimistic XD_

_Enjoy!  
_

* * *

Dr. Director paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath as another semi-destroyed robot disappeared under the floor. She closed her eyes, enjoying the rush of adrenaline: busy as she had been coordinating the operations, she hadn't found a single moment to train in the last few days, so she had been relieved when she had managed to get some time after having a few samples of Drakken's acid sent at the GJ labs to be replicated. Maybe she should ever take that little time for herself in that situation, but should anyone need her they could contact her in any moment anyway…and her muscles were simply crying out for exercise.

Well, she thought, reaching for the remote control that would allow her to activate the robots, maybe she could take a few more minutes – it wasn't like those robots would take much time, since they lacked of intelligence and weren't much of a--

"What…?" Dr. Director immediately leapt forward as she caught a movement from the corner of the eye, without even turning to see what it was, and she wasn't surprised in the slightest as she heard an explosion just a few steps from her – on the spot she had been standing on a moment before, to be accurate.

"You still have the annoying habit of not standing still," Gemini complained as she turned to face him.

"And you still have the annoying habit of sneaking up my back," Dr. Director said, her muscles tensing as she got ready to dodge any other attack that could come from her brother "not that you were ever brave enough to face me…" she smirked a little as he growled and fired again, the missile coming from his mechanical hand narrowly missing her as she jumped backwards, landed on her palms and then sprang back on her feet, still facing him. "And you _still_ have a terrible aim, I may add."

Gemini scoffed. "I'm just feeling generous enough to give my _little sister_ some advantage," he sneered.

Dr. Director groaned inwardly – would the fact they were _twins_ even get through that thick head of his? "Yeah, _right_. You'd probably have even less chances to hit me if I stayed still."

"How about trying out then?" her brother retorted, firing a few more missiles in quick succession, a frustrated grimace on his face as she eluded all his attacks, then he grinned as he unclenched his mechanical hand to fire all his missiles at once – he was really curious to see how she's elude _that_ attack.

Dr. Director, however, had seen that coming – before he could fire she had already leapt on him. Gemini let out a pained gasp as her foot hit his stomach, causing him to crash against one of the robots and stumble on the ground. He groaned and raised his gaze to see his twin sister towering on him.

"Give up, Gemini," she said coldly, folding her arms "you're no match for me, missiles or not. You wouldn't even _try_ to fight me without that hand of yours anyway."

Gemini grimaced. "I would!" he growled, getting back on his feet "I have already!"

"Yeah, maybe – and you would lose _again_."

"I wouldn't!"

"Yes, you would."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I didn't need this hand to slash your--!" Gemini shouted, but he trailed off, as if the idea suddenly made him uncomfortable. He swallowed and shook his head slightly, as if to chase away some thought.

Dr. Director's only eye narrowed. "No, you didn't," she said coldly "but I wasn't the only one to lose an eye in that fight, was I?" she added, meaningfully glancing at his eye patch.

"You started it," Gemini said, sounding much like a stubborn kid "you shouldn't have stepped in my way."

"You were breaking law," she said coldly "only to annoy _me_."

"It was just _business_," he said, fully knowing it was a lie – it had been more than just business: it had been much more personal than that "nothing would have happened if you had behaved like the _younger_ sibling you are and hadn't tried to stand in your older brother's wa-- _ow_!" he yelped as she suddenly delivered another vicious round kick to his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards against the wall "that _hurt_!"

"Listen here and listen close, you idiot – you're _not_ my older brother. I'm _not_ you baby sister. Four minutes make no difference. You were not entitled to my respect by birthright, and you never had it because you never _deserved_ it – especially not now. You won't get any more consideration, or respect, or…_anything_ than any other criminal I deal with. As you said yourself," she added, her only eye narrowing "it's just business."

Gemini scoffed – he had fed himself that same lie too many times to believe it anymore. "Is it?" he retorted, his hand still clutching his stomach as he glared back at her. Before she could reply, however, a terrified cry echoed through the whole lair, causing both of them to turn to the door, their argument forgotten. For now.

"Stoppable?" Gemini guessed.

Dr. Director sighed. "Yes. Stoppable."

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ron kept screaming as he rushed down another corridor – he didn't turn back once, but he could definitely hear the monkey freak getting closer.

"Stop running, you fool – you shall not escape me! Hand yourself over, and I promise it will be quick!"

"Do I look _that_ stupid?" Ron shouted as he got past another door, thankful for the fact each automated door needed a few moments to open again after being closed, which gave him some moments of precious advantage each time he passed one.

A low growl came from behind the door as Monkey Fist was forced to wait for it to open. "I suppose it was worth a try," he snarled as he finally got past it and kept chasing after Stoppable. Those blasted doors were unbearably annoying, and the fact the boy obviously knew the lair better than he did didn't work at his advantage, but that hardly mattered: he couldn't keep escaping for long, and once he got him…

An insane smile began spreading on the monkey man's face as he realized how similar the situation was to the first time he had fought him, when he had been chasing him through his castle – but this time, things would be different. This time, the pretender would pay. The thought of making Stoppable pay for standing between him and his destiny made him completely oblivious of he situation he was currently in, and the idea that killing Stoppable could result with his allies turning him back into stone didn't even cross his mind.

* * *

"Did you hear zat?" Dementor blinked as he raised his gaze from the doomsday device – was it even correct to call it a doomsday device now that it was meant to save the world anyway?

"Och, it was hard to miss," Killigan said with a frown, turning to the lab's door "didn't it sound like the sidekick?" he asked, still ignoring that lobster…thing that kept sitting near his chair, hopefully looking up at him and waving its tail. Alright, he _had_ said it wasn't that bad, so what? Did that thing really think he would pet it or something? It could just keep waiting – that wasn't going to happen. _Ever_.

"Yeah, that shriek could only be his, seriously."

"Oh, I hope he didn't get hurt," DNAmy said somewhat worriedly, looking away from the screen she had been staring at.

Killigan shrugged. "He probably just lost his pants and tripped aga--" he trailed off as another shriek reached the lab, sounding vaguely like 'monkey!' "…then again, maybe monkey boy is up to skin him alive," he corrected himself, remembering the hatred Monkey Fist had always showed to the lad.

"Ooh, so my Montykins is up!" Amy said gleefully, apparently unimpressed by the fact her Montykins was most likely currently trying to kill a boy.

"I said _maybe_," Killigan grumbled, but she was already running out of the lab, closely followed by that dogster…thing and nearly knocking Drakken off his feet.

"Hey, watch it," Drakken protested, still looking rather grim from his earlier conversation – or _lack_ of conversation – with Shego.

"Seriously, dude, you totally could have avoided telling her that," Motor Ed shook his head at Killigan, who gritted his teeth.

"It's not like I _care_ if she runs after monkey boy," he snapped, folding his arms and turning away "I don't know what the heck did ye get in that thick head of yers, lad, but ye're _wrong_."

"Yeah, but--"

"_Wrong_," Killigan snapped again "and anyway, why don't ye mind yer own business? It's not like ye can give anyone much advice about catching a lass."

Motor Ed blinked. "Why not? I'm an expert. Seriously."

Killigan scoffed. "Are ye kidding, lad? It's not like the green lass is so _enthusiast_ about ye."

"She isn't enthusiast about anything," Drakken muttered somewhat sourly, but no one paid any attention to him – Dementor had immediately turned his gaze back down on his work with a grimace when he had gotten in: his rival had clearly hit a nerve in their previous argument and, under other circumstances, Drakken would have gloated about it.

Ed laughed. "Dude, you don't get babes, that's your problem," he said with a broad grin "she's just crazy a for me, seriously."

Drakken blinked. _"What?"_

"Aye, _right_," Killigan rolled his eyes "is that why she keeps throwing plasma at ye?"

The taller man shrugged. "I told you, she's just in denial – but she's totally falling for me, dude, I tell you!"

"You wish," Drakken muttered, folding his arms, but there was a slight frown on his face. Well, yeah, Shego had been behaving a tad oddly lately, and he had no idea of why she didn't even want to tease him a little earlier like she would usually do…but this had nothing to do with his cousin, of course. No, it couldn't. It definitely couldn't. Just…_no_.

…could it?

"Ow!" Drakken yelped, snapping from his thoughts as Ed gave him a powerful pat on the back.

"You'll see, Drew!" his cousin said with a wink "after this mess with the aliens is finished, you'll totally have to start looking for a new sidekick, seriously, 'cause she's moving with me!"

Drakken cringed. "She won't," he said somewhat weakly.

"Not unless he brainwashed her," Killigan said with a grin.

"Wait and see," Motor Ed said with a shrug, "and while I'm at it, Drew, I could give you a few tips – you and the dude in dress seriously know nothing about chicks…"

"It's a kilt!" Killigan yelled.

"…but, no worries, that's what your favourite cousin is here for!"

"Zat loser vould need a _miracle_," Dementor graciously pointed out.

"I don't _need_ your help!" Drakken snapped, shrugging his hand off his shoulder "and anyway, she doesn't--" the blue skinned scientist trailed off as a terrified shriek reached their ears, this time closer.

"Looks like ze sidekick and ze baboon got in ze main room," Dementor said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but that didn't sound like the buffoon, seriously – it sounded like Monkey Fist. I bet Amy got there already," Motor Ed snickered, causing Killigan to snort. Motor Ed glanced at the door, at his still unfinished work and then back to the door "…anyone wants to take a break and go take a look?"

Unsurprisingly enough, everyone did – watching DNAmy running after Monkey Fist always amused them to no end, even though it had taken Drakken a while to start finding it funny. This time, however, Killigan seemed less than amused by the thought as he followed the others outside somewhat unwillingly.

"You know, dude…"

"Shut yer trap."

"…whatever."

* * *

"Do you still think recruiting the monkey man was a good idea, Betty?" Gemini asked with a sly grin, amused by his sister's baffled expression as he absentmindedly scratched Pepe's ears.

"Er…" Dr. Director hesitated. She didn't usually lack of comebacks to throw back at her brother, but this time was an exception. She just shrugged without saying anything as she watched Ron running in circles in the main room in the attempt to escape from an enraged Monkey Fist. Honestly, there wasn't much she could say.

"Hey, someone do something!" Ron shrieked, snapping her from her musing as he stumbled on the ground in the attempt of dodging one of Monkey Fist's attacks and crawled under the table "he's trying to _kill_ me!"

Senior Senior Sr. sighed, massaging his temples. "Can't anyone behave like a civilized human being here?" he asked aloud, glancing at the child still on his knees. Hana, on the other hand, grabbed the edge of the desk for support and stood on his knees to see what was happening, and she laughed and waved her hands as she saw Ron.

"Brother!"

Her voice caused both Ron and Monkey Fist to freeze and turn to the child – Ron with a look of absolute relief, and Monkey Fist with the horrified expression of a man who's staring at death itself – then Ron took advantage of the fact his arch-foe was still frozen on his spot and rushed forward, taking Hana in his arms and holding her in front of him almost triumphantly. "Ha-ah! Not so brave now, eh, monkey freak?" he said, causing Hana to giggle and Monkey Fist to snarl, taking a step back.

"You _cowardly_--" he began, but he trailed off as he heard the unmistakable sound of someone clearing their throat behind him. "Possible," he growled, turning to face her.

She didn't seem any happier to see him – especially since she had been briefly turned into stone during their last meeting, in which had tried to kidnap a child. "Monkey Fist," she said rather coldly.

"Wow, Princess, if gaze could kill...! Did something personal happen before he was turned into a lawn ornament?"

Kim turned and blinked. "Are you wearing a bathrobe?" she asked, startled.

Shego shrugged. "I was in the sauna when the buffoon screamed," she said "if I hadn't heard that before, I would have thought it was a girl. What's the big deal with _him_ anyway, monkey boy?"

"Hey!" Ron protested.

"What's the _big deal_?" Monkey Fist repeated, looking nearly outraged "this pretender--" he began, but he trailed of almost immediately, suddenly feeling like smacking himself as his gaze fell on Dr. Director and Kim Possible – they looked less than pleased. What a fool he had been! He had let his desire of revenge cloud his mind to the point he had entirely forgotten the situation he was in – those people had brought him back only because they needed him as an ally, and there was a strong possibility they could turn him back into stone with the Han on their side. What in the world had he been thinking? He was supposed to try play along until he was ready to control his powers – and trying to kill one of them wasn't exactly the best way to play along.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain some composure while keeping an eye on the Han – he was definitely in hot waters, he thought grimly. At least until he had gained some control over his powers as the Yono and had found a way to make the Han inoffensive, his hands were tied. "My apologies," he said as calmly as he could, looking straight at Dr. Director – he knew that if there was someone there with the authority to decide his fate, it was her "I'm afraid I overreacted."

"_Overreacted?"_ Ron yelped "you _think_?"

Monkey Fist shrugged without even looking at him. "Obviously, you couldn't expect meeting one of the people who caused me to turn into a stone statue would fill me with happiness," he said sharply, glaring briefly at Kim Possible.

"Hey, rewind – we didn't have you turned into _anything_! You were the one who agreed to follow the Path of the Yono," Kim pointed out.

"If you hadn't stepped in my way, I wouldn't have been turned into a statue to begin with."

"Hey, you were up to unleashing a dangerous mystical weapon. You had to be stopped," Kim replied "besides, it wasn't neither me or Ron to defeat you – it was Hana. Why don't you go complaining with her?" she added with a smirk, gesturing to the still giggling child in Ron's arms.

Shego glanced at Hana and chuckled. "Oh, right – the kid kicked your butt. I almost forgot. And here I thought you couldn't get lower…"

Monkey Fist gritted his teeth, but he managed to get a hold on himself – even though it took him all his self-control to not snap. "That is no child, that is a powerful mystical weapon!"

"Dude, that's not a nice thing to say," Ron protested – he wasn't sure he really liked it how he kept referring to his baby sister as a _weapon_. Behind him, Senior nodded in agreement – he didn't seem to like the idea either.

Gemini raised an eyebrow as Hana grabbed Ron's nose and muttered 'brother'. "I see. Menacing," he said, though taking a mental note to be careful next time he tried to bring her on his side "and you say she's powerful?" he asked almost casually, ignoring his sister's glare.

A sour expression crossed Monkey Fist's features. "I should know," he muttered sourly "she had me turned into stone."

"And she's turning you back into stone next time you threaten anyone here," Dr. Director said sternly, ignoring the fact that threatening each other had became some sort of routine in there…then again, Monkey Fist could be more dangerous than anyone else in there.

"And anyone means anyone. Me included," Ron pointed out "just to make it clear."

The monkey man glared daggers at him, causing him to cringe, but he eventually nodded. "Fine," he just said "_fine_."

Shego shrugged. "Great, we have the monkey man's help. I hope it was worth the trouble of getting you back anyway – just curious, who did you hire to furnish you castle? Count Dracula?"

"You've been in my castle?"

"Yeah."

"I don't recall inviting you," Monkey Fist said coldly, his eyes narrowing. The thought they had been in his home during his absence was infuriating – it was _his_ home, _his_ sanctuary. He held invaluable texts and relics in that place, items no one but him should get close to. How _dare_ they…!

"Hey, we got there to find a way to get you back – it's not like we clapped out hands to make you stop being a cute statue, you know. And it wasn't fun to be in that place, it's creepy. You should thank us."

Monkey Fist scoffed. "As I already said to Dr. Director, I have no reason to thank any of you – the only reason why you brought me back is that you need my help. None of you would have done so otherwise."

"I beg to differ," Senior said, looking at someone behind the monkey man's back "I think at least someone had more noble reasons."

"Wha--?"

_"Honey bunny!"_

Monkey Fist had barely enough time to shriek before Amy was on him, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his back with a heavy thud. "Ouch!" he groaned, desperately struggling to break free from her grasp – not an easy task, since her whole weight was on him – as she kept blabbering nonsense about how much she had missed him and how cuter he looked in flesh and blood rather than as a stone statue.

Ron shook his head. "Poor guy," he said, feeling even more sympathetic to him than he had felt when he had seen him sinking into the ground together with the temple.

"This is just…just…" Wade frowned, apparently unable to find the right word.

"Wrongsick?" Kim suggested.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Agreed," Shego said, looking both disgusted and amused by the sight.

"Get off me – get off me, I said!" Monkey Fist screeched, still trying to squirm from her grasp – dear God, she seemed to have an even stronger grasp than she had with that gorilla body! "Someone do _something_," he nearly pleaded.

"Oh, you just can't stop playing cold, can you? But I _know_ you're happy to see me!" Amy cooed, her grip around him not loosening at all.

Gemini made a face. "Oh, _please_…"

"You don't look much better when you're fussing over that dog, you know," Dr. Director pointed out with a smirk, causing him to snort as he petted Pepe's head again.

"I suppose this…proves that not everyone regards him as a mere weapon?" Senior said a little awkwardly.

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem too glad…"

"What…? Whoa, get a room you two, seriously," Motor Ed snickered as he walked inside the main room together with the others, gaining himself a deadly glare from Monkey Fist.

"Excuse me?" Monkey Fist managed to yell before Amy's embrace tightened again, causing him to yelp "for heaven's sake, let me go!"

"Och, ye sure didn't get any friendlier, lad," Killigan grunted, observing the scene with a frown. What did that lass see in someone like monkey boy anyway? He didn't even seem glad of her attentions anyway.

"Pew," Drakken sighed in relief "and to think I was spared _this_…Shego, are you wearing a _bathrobe_?" he said, slightly perplexed. Alright, considering how long they had been living together in his lairs it wasn't the first time she saw her wearing a bathrobe, but he wasn't sure it was a good idea wearing it with Motor Ed around. The thought made him grimace.

"Hey, that thing looks great on you, babe! Seriously!" his cousin immediately exclaimed "and I bet you'd look even better without it! How about--_ow_!" he yelped as a blast of plasma sent him flying across the room. Drakken snickered a little, feeling oddly relieved.

"I was in the sauna until the sidekick shrieked," she said with a shrug "I bet you heard him too," she added, causing Ron to shift a little uncomfortably – had _everyone_ heard him? He hadn't screamed _that_ loudly…

"It vas hard to miss," Dementor said with a grin, looking extremely amused as he glanced at Monkey Fist and DNAmy, and his grin widened as she muttered something about what a meanie her 'monkey muffin' had been for avoiding he and having her all worried the whole time.

The monkey man, on the other hand, was anything but amused. "For the last time, _get off me_!" he bellowed, trying to push DNAmy away from him and to prevent her from kissing him.

Senior cleared his throat. "Ms. Hall, maybe you should let Lord Fiske up – I don't think the floor of a lair's main room is a proper place for a gentleman to lie down," he said smoothly "not to mention his body might still be aching because of the lack of proper exercise. I'd suggest to let him rest another while before…er…showing you affection in a such way."

Amy blinked. "Oh, you're right – I hadn't even thought about it! Poor honey bunny, I've been such a meanie, eh?" she giggled a little as she finally let go of him and got up.

"_Thank you_," Monkey Fist muttered as he got back on his feet, then he gave Senior a slight nod – yes, he thought to himself, the old man was someone whose life he would spare once he had taken control of the power of Yono. He grimaced as his hand rubbed his ribcage – did he still _have_ ribs after that hug? "Good God, woman, how many time do I have to tell you--"

His last words were suddenly covered by the sound of a dog barking desperately. "What the…? Not this again! I told you this thing had to stay away from here!" Gemini yelled, taking a step back and glaring down at DNAmy's dogster with a disgusted grimace as he tried to calm down the yelping chihuahua in his arms.

"Oh, but Lucy just wants to play," Amy protested. As if to emphasize her words, the dog-lobster hybrid took a few more steps towards Gemini, hopefully glancing up at Pepe, whose yelps immediately got louder.

"I don't _care_ – it's scaring my Pepe!" Gemini complained before pointing his mechanical hand at Lucy, ready to fire – but before he could Killigan stepped forward and grabbed her.

"What the _heck_ do ye think ye're doing?" he yelled, placing Lucy in the crook of his arm without thinking.

"I told you that thing shouldn't get anywhere near my dog!"

"Will ye ever get through that skull of yer that ye don't _own_ the place? Ye ain't anyone's boos here, and for all I care, yer dog can whine until death!"

"I do whatever I want – I don't care what a man that walks around wearing a skirt might think!"

"It's a _kilt_!"

Kim groaned. "Not again," she muttered, and everyone else in the room seemed to agree with her.

"Do things like this happen often?" Monkey Fist asked quietly.

"Yeah. At least twice before lunch," Ron said with a shrug.

"Just twice? Are you being optimistic or what?" Shego asked.

"Wonderful," Monkey Fist said dryly. He had figured out that the situation had to be quite desperate if those people had teamed up to save the world, but until that moment he hadn't thought it would be that desperate. It looked like the planted was doomed, unless he found a way to control the power of Yono.

Senior sighed "Gemini, Mr. Killigan, please…"

"Enough," Dr. Director cut him off, stepping forward – she had had enough of those two "Mr. Killigan, give that…dogster back to Ms. Hall. As for you, _Sheldon_," she added, stepping closer to her twin and lowering her voice so no one but him could hear her "it isn't anyone's fault if your dog is neurotic, so quit causing trouble unless you want everyone here to know until _what_ age you had to use diapers at night."

Gemini's only eye widened. "You wouldn't!" he said, sounding nearly horrified by the thought.

"Vhat did she say?" Dementor asked.

"No idea," Drakken said with a shrug "but it must be bad."

"I told you that chick is scary, seriously," Motor Ed muttered. Both Drakken and Dementor nodded in agreement, while Shego shrugged – she was pretty sure she could be scarier if she wanted to.

Dr. Director only smirked. "Consider it a warning," she said aloud before turning to DNAmy "now, could you please take your…dogster and keep it away from the main room from now on? It would spare everyone another hissy fit from that thing my brother insists calling a dog."

DNAmy immediately nodded and turned to Killigan, who was still holding up Lucy while glaring at Gemini. "What?" he asked as she heard him giggling.

"Aw, see? She likes you," Amy cooed as she watched the dogster trying to turn back to lick Killigan's face "it was very nice of you protecting her," she added gratefully, and just for a moment she almost frowned as she thought that Monty hadn't bothered doing so.

He cleared his throat. "Aye, aye, whatever. Get it back," he said, holding Lucy at arms length and handling her back to Amy – the last thing he needed was having the other villains thinking he had gone soft, he thought as he watched her petting that…_thing_, cooing some nonsense. He snorted and turned away, only to see Motor Ed giving him thumbs up, a stupid grin on his face. Would that lad _ever_ drop it?

"Now," Dr. Director said, getting everybody's attention back "care to explain why aren't you in the lab? And don't tell me you decided to take another break," she said sternly as Motor Ed opened him mouth to speak, causing him to close it again without uttering a single word.

"Vell, ve heard ze buffoon screaming and vent to see vhat vas happening," Dementor explained.

"Yeah, what happened anyway?" Shego asked "did he eat the last banana?"

"How amusing," Monkey Fist said, narrowing his eyes. Those lame jokes were certainly something he hadn't missed.

"Oh, wait, I know! He asked you to baby-sit the terrible weapon over there!" Drakken taunted him.

"Uh…don't make him too nervous, guys," Ron said a tad nervously, holding Hana a little closer as she laughed and waver her arms.

"Or else what, he'll send his army of monkeys against us?" Killigan snorted, looking oddly annoyed at the monkey man for some reason.

"The buffoon just came up with a good advice for the first time in his life," the Monkey Fist said with a growl "and I wouldn't ignore it if I were--" he trailed as if some thought had suddenly crossed his mind "my monkey ninjas," he said, turning to look at Kim, and for a moment she saw something oddly close to a worried look on his face "where are they?"

"Uh…" Kim hesitated – she honestly has no idea of where the monkeys could be: last time she had seen them, they were fleeing from Mount Yamanouchi.

"They're at Amy's place," Ron said "I saw them when we got you back. They're fine," he added quickly as the monkey man looked at him.

The news only seemed to add to Monkey Fist's worries, for he immediately turned to Amy. "What? What are they doing there?"

"Oh, they showed up a few months ago and guided me to the place where I found you, monkey muffin" she said cheerfully, still holding Lucy "and after I retrieved you, they wouldn't leave my lawn. Isn't that adorable?" she giggled "they are still there with my pets, of course. Glob--" she trailed off as Pepe gave a warning whine from Gemini's arms "well, GJ is taking care of them until we get back."

Monkey Fist nodded, breathing a little more easily, then he frowned as another thought crossed his mind. "You _didn't_ use them for any of your…experiments, did you?" he asked, almost fearing the answer.

"Oh, I tried – they would have looked so cute with bunny ears!"

The monkey man's jaw dropped. "Bunny ears?" he nearly screeched.

"Yes, those would have looked adorable on them! But for some reason they wouldn't let me," she said with a shrug, looking a tad disappointed.

Monkey Fist gave a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens," he muttered.

"Och, ye could as well thank the lass, ye know," Killigan pointed out, folding his arms "it wasn't like she _had_ to dig ye up and take care of yer pets."

"I never asked her to," Monkey Fist said coldly. He, thanking DNAmy? After that woman had turned his life into a living hell, never giving him a minute to breathe? He had to be joking.

Senior shook his head. "I agree with Mr. Killigan, Lord Fiske – thanking her is the less you could do," he pointed out, but the monkey man ignored him.

"Oh, it's fine," Amy said with a giggle "you don't have to get all grumpy about this, Duffy."

"Aye, but it gets on my nerves…_how_ did ye just call me?" Killigan protested.

"Don't you like it? I think it's cute."

"It's stupid."

She giggled again. "And here you play grumpy again…"

Killigan was about to protest, but a sudden beeping sound caused everyone to turn to the main screen as it suddenly switched on to show one of Global Justice's head scientists. "Dr. Director," he said, clear trace of urgency in his voice "we have news about the Lowardians – our scientists spotted a big number of large moving objects that just got into the Solar System. We have good reasons to believe it's a fleet of Lowardian spaceships."

There was a moment of silence following those words. Kim swallowed and glanced around to see that everyone suddenly looked terribly serious. "I understand," Dr. Director finally broke the silence "can you estimate how much time we have left before their arrival?"

"It's hard to say. Their technology is superior to ours to the point they can cover distances that would seem impossible to us – then again, they still have an enormous way to go. It simply cannot take less than a few weeks. At least two anyway, but they're still too far to correctly estimate their speed. We'll keep track on them and let you know as soon as we find out something more."

"Looks like we don't have much time left. How about the battlesuits productions?"

"We're proceeding at full speed – same for Mr. Killigan's special explosive – I'm sending you the data as we speak. And we're about to start producing the acid Dr. Drakken created: relatively small quantities of it are able to destroy the material Lowardian weapons are made of, and it seems to cause no damage to our metals. I think we could increase its effectiveness by combining it with Killigan's explosive – it was a true stroke of genius, Dr. Drakken."

The blue skinned scientist proudly puffed out his chest and grinned at Dementor, who grumbled something and turned away. Drakken turned to Shego, who mouthed something like 'not bad, doc' before turning her attention back to the screen.

Dr. Director nodded. "Perfect," she said before the screen switched off "keep me informed."

Ron swallowed. "This doesn't sound too good, uh?" he said.

"They'll most likely be here relatively soon," Dr. Director said with a sigh "but we will be ready. We must be ready. How are things going in the lab?"

"Well, I'm ready to create as many nasty beasties we need now that Dementor build the mind-control chips for them. Last time I created one it was a really nasty one, so I think I will use the same DNA combination."

Kim raised her hand. "Wait – was it the dino-thing?"

"Yes."

"Okay, _that_ will surely help," she told Dr. Director.

"Perfect. Mr. Lipsky?"

"No offence, babe, but I ain't giving anything away before it's done. But it's going to rock, seriously."

"Och, lad, whatever ye're building is taking forever to get done," Killigan pointed out.

"I'm waiting for some more stuff to be delivered – but seriously, _that_ is my masterpiece! You'll see," Motor Ed boasted.

"I truly hope so," Dr. Director muttered as she glanced down at the computer on the table, frowning a little.

"More trouble?" Shego asked.

"Not exactly, but I had hoped for the battlesuit production to be faster," she replied "had it been faster, we could have had some more teams working on the explosives and the acid."

"You can tell your teams to get on it, Betty," Gemini said with a grin, producing a sheet form his pocket and waving it in front of her face "we're taking care of the battlesuits and the mind-control chips already."

"What?" his sister frowned and grabbed the sheet, carefully reading it "how can you produce all these?" Dr. Director said, glaring at him suspiciously "there is no way WEE could produce so many by itself!"

Gemini grinned. "I simply asked for a favour to an old friend of mine," he said vaguely.

His sister's only eye narrowed. "Jack Hench," she said with a grimace "it surprises me that he accepted to do this for free."

"That's what old friends are for after all," Gemini smirked "the Hench Co. is already producing battlesuits, and as you can see, they're good at it. It surprised me you didn't ask for his help before I did…and don't look at me like that, the boy genius here will confirm that you can still deactivate them in any moment."

Wade nodded. "As long as they're duplicates of the ones I built, yes."

Dr. Director nodded. "Fine," she said, glancing at her grinning brother a little resentfully before turning to Monkey Fist, who had followed the whole scene without uttering a single word "and what can you tell us, Lord Fiske? Do you know if you have this…power of Yono now?"

Monkey Fist smiled slightly as everyone's eyes turned to him. "Yes," he finally said "I have excellent reasons to believe I do. Of course, I still need to unblock it and learn to control it. I could take time."

"You might only have a couple of weeks."

"It will suffice," he said "it _must_ suffice," he added, almost talking to himself.

"Is there anything you might need?" Senior asked.

"Only concentration. And possibly a place where I can test my powers without causing too much damage to the lair."

"I can assure you, this lair doesn't lack of such places," Senior said with a slight nod "I will show you around immediately."

"Speaking of immediately," Dr. Director said "I think this break lasted too long already. You know the way to the lab, don't you?" she said, causing Motor Ed and Killigan to groan a little. Drakken and Dementor just nodded, while DNAmy seemed far too busy fussing over Lucy to show any sign of hearing her.

Kim sighed. "Well, I guess I'll keep on training," she said, trying to chase away that horrible feeling of helplessness she felt each time she was reminded there was nothing she could do for now. "Shego?"

"I'll be there in a minute – get going, Kimmie."

"Ron, are you coming with us? You could try out your battlesuit again."

"Uh…" they boy hesitated, then he shook his head "no, I think I better try it out with Wade a few more times. You know, to get used to it and stuff."

Kim nodded. "Alright – see you," she said before turning to leave the main room.

"So, when are you going to tell her?" Wade asked quietly.

"Don't know – but I'll tell her if something happens, okay?"

"Hey, don't bite! I was just thinking that your…powers could come in a handy, that's all!"

"Not if I can't control them," Ron pointed out, biting his lower lip as he watched Monkey Fist speaking with Senior. He didn't like the idea of having to ask him anything, let alone teaching him about monkey magic and stuff…but the aliens would be there soon, and it seemed like the only solution to learn something about them as quickly as he could – it was worth a shot.

"Er…" he cleared his throat as he approached Monkey Fist and Senior "dude, I was wondering…"

Both men turned to look at him, and the hateful glare Monkey Fist gave him made Ron cringe. "I was wondering if you could keep her," he said quickly, turning to Senior – whose expression was definitely _much_ friendlier "you know, while I'm away with Wade to try out the battlesuit…"

"Of course," the old man said, taking Hana in his arms with a smile, and for a moment Ron wasn't sure if he should feel jealous or just amused by the eagerness with which the child had grabbed his jacket, happily babbling something he couldn't hear well.

"So, uh…see you around?" Ron said with a weak grin. Monkey Fist, who had been glancing at Hana with both suspicion and contempt, glared daggers at him.

"I should hope not," he said coldly.

"Uh…yeah, right. See you…well, see you not. Whatever. Have fun," Ron blurted out without even thinking before turning and hurrying away. Alright, maybe he better wait another while before asking Monkey Fist to teach him about monkey magic. Until he cooled down, that was it. Maybe in a decade or two.


	9. Can't have the cake and eat it too

_A/N: yet another late chapter - and again, I'm sorry about that. But hey, busy times cannot last forever, right? Right...?_

* * *

"I suppose this should be enough to illustrate the situation," Senior said with a grim expression as he looked away from the images on the screen – he had seen enough already. But on the other hand, he had figured out it would be a good idea letting Monkey Fist see with his own eyes what the Lowardians – what only _two_ Lowardians and their weapons – had been capable of in only a handful of minutes. He needed to know something more about the enemy they were facing, after all.

Monkey Fist didn't reply immediately, his eyes fixed on the screen, his expression unreadable. "Only two of them did _this_?" he finally asked, observing the ruins of what had probably once been a mall.

"Not precisely – it was only two of them, but they had hundreds, maybe thousands pods like the one you saw earlier. I don't know how, but they had managed to shut off the power on the whole planet, and they caught us by surprise. We couldn't put up much resistance," the old man said with a shrug, his grim expression turning into a slightly amused one as Hana began playing with his ascot, cheerfully babbling something.

Monkey Fist scowled at the child – he had to think of a way to dispose of her sooner or later, he decided – before turning back to the screen. "I must admit it's quite impressive," Monkey Fist admitted, barely holding back a smirk – once he gained control of the Power of Yono, that would seem nothing "then again, the fact they were indeed stopped by _Drakken_ makes it seem…less admirable."

Senior raised an eyebrow. "Do you think of this as…admirable, Lord Fiske?"

"Page," Hana muttered, and the Monkey Fist grimaced for a moment before replying.

"Don't you?" the monkey man simply said, gesturing to the screen "as a villain, you will certainly agree that it is quite impressive, although not as much as the Power of Yono once I'll unleash it," he allowed himself to smirk at the thought, and he suddenly felt eager to start working on his powers again, even though the training room Senior had reserved to him hadn't been set up yet.

The old man sighed. "I have to admit that it is impressive, and that I could have even admired their efficiency. But, at the light of the recent--" he trailed off as he saw Monkey Fist's posture suddenly stiffen, his smirk turning into a frown as he stared at the screen. Senior followed his gaze, and he sighed as he realized what picture he was staring at. "Sadly, nothing was safe during the attack, and many invaluable treasures were destroyed all over the world. A shame, a terrible shame," he said, shaking his head.

Monkey Fist was barely listening to him, his eyes fixed on the ruins of what had been the East Wing of the British Museum. He didn't speak for a few minutes, and when he spoke again his voice was shaking in suppressed anger. "They wiped away the treasures of over two million years of history," he seethed, gritting his teeth "from all over the world."

Senior raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. He knew that Monkey Fist had no qualms stealing from museums if he needed some mystical item, and he had never seemed to care if items he didn't have any use for could be damaged, thus he was surprised to see how much the destruction of so many artefacts seemed to anger him. Then again, the old man thought as he shifted Hana in his other arm, he had once been an archaeologist, an explorer and, to a certain extent, a naturalist – some habits die hard, after all.

He was about to speak, but before he could utter a single word the door buzzed open and a rather nervous-looking WEE agent – agent Delta, according to the uniform – walked in. "Excuse me, sir – the training room has been settled up," he informed them, and Senior nodded.

"Very well, thank you. If you wish to rest another while before--" he began, turning to Monkey Fist, but the monkey man immediately trailed him off.

"I've rested enough already. If you'll excuse me, I better be going," he said dryly, a grim expression still on his face as he walked past the WEE agent and through to the door.

"Wow, I wouldn't want to be the one that guy is mad at," agent Delta said, whistling – what the heck, he could at least stop being all uptight while Gemini wasn't around.

"Neither would I," Senior said with a sigh, reaching out to switch off the screen and sitting back with Hana on his knees "I only hope his anger will work for us and not against us."

"Oh," the agent seemed suddenly unsure and glanced down at the child. Gemini hadn't let them know much about the details, but after trading some information with a few GJ agents – and man, they all better hope neither Dr. Director or Gemini would ever know about it – he knew that the monkey man seemed to possess some kind of ancient power and that the child was the key to control him…or something close, anyway. It was something so hard to believe that they all had their good share of doubts.

"Is there anything you need?" Senior asked, noticing the agent hadn't moved from his spot.

"I…" the agent blinked in surprise, used as he was to Gemini's lack of patience and imperious orders "well, I was wondering…is it true that you can keep him in check by using the kid against him?" he dared to ask,.

Senior nodded, his lips pulled in a tight line as he glanced down at the giggling child. "Yes, it is – but I hope it won't be necessary. I don't fancy the idea of using a little girl as a weapon."

* * *

"C'mon, Wade, we gotta keep trying! You said you'd help me," Ron protested as Wade shut off the robots.

"Ron, let's take a break – we aren't getting anywhere here," Wade said with a sigh, leaning back against the seat and scratching his head as he observed the still intact – and now deactivated – training robot in the middle of the room "I don't understand – why can't you make that happen anymore?"

"I don't know," Ron repeated for what felt like the millionth time, a frustrate grimace on his face as he glanced down at his hands "Sensei said I'm blocking it myself, or something like that, but he said nothing I could do to unblock it."

"Nothing?"

"Okay, fine, maybe he said something, but it was the usual stuff about destiny and acceptance and whatnot, but…really, you know me, I don't get that stuff," he said with a somewhat sheepish grin before frowning again "he makes it sound like it's no big deal, but I don't know what to do. It's always been a come and go thing. I cannot control it," he said with a sigh. If Wade couldn't come up with something, no one else could – no one but Money Fist, and he wasn't exactly _dying_ to ask his own arch-enemy to help him gaining control of a power he had stolen from him right under his nose.

"Hmm…" Wade thought for a few moments, tapping his chin – not that coming up with something was easy for him: honestly, _magic_ was not his field "you know, maybe you're trying too hard now. After all, when you first used this…power, you didn't even know you were using it. It wasn't your own will to trigger it. Maybe you should keep training with your battlesuit for now – I could shut it off at some point without warning, and maybe you'd use your powers without realizing it. It could be dangerous situations to trigger it."

Ron's face immediately brightened. "Yeah, that could work!" he said enthusiastically "let's give it a try!"

"Okay, get ready, I'm reactivating the robots in three…two…one…"

* * *

_BOOM!_

"_Eep_!" Drakken shrieked, stumbling forward and immediately crawling over the nearest table as a sudden explosion caused the walls of the lab to shake. "What…?"

"Och, blue boy, watch it!" Killigan snapped, getting up from the floor and glaring at him – it looked like he hadn't been the only one to stumble on the ground "are ye trying to _kill_ us?" the golfer shouted, quickly glancing at the corner where DNAmy was working until a moment before. "Are ye alright, lass?" he asked. Not that he _cared_, of course, it was just…well…

Amy nodded, coughing a little because of the smoke. "Yes, I'm fine. What happened? Did anyone get hurt?"

"Blue boy made stuff blow up. Again."

"Whoa, Drew, I thought you learned to keep this stuff from happening, seriously!" Motor Ed protested "and now I let the screwdriver fall into the engine – I'll have to make a mess to get it back!" he complained.

"Hey, it wasn't _me_!" Drakken protested, getting back on his feet and brushing his lab coat "I wasn't even touching anything, I was just--"

"Let ze loser alone, it vasn't him – he vouldn't have ze brains to come up vith _zhis_!" Dementor cut him off, stepping in the middle of the lab with a triumphant grin on his face – well, on the portion of his face they could see – and holding up something vaguely resembling to a bazooka.

"So it was ye who made this mess!" Killigan shouted, "what the heck were ye thinking, ye--"

"Hey, wait – was it the Lowardian stuff samples that you made blow up?" Motor Ed asked, turning to look at a corner of the lab where they had put some samples of Lowardian material for testing their weapons – it was empty, and the ground was blackened by the explosion.

"Looks like you're smarter zan your cousin," Dementor said with a grin, still holding up that…bazooka?

"Hey, that's not true! I'm more smarter than him!" Drakken protested, and Killigan snickered at Motor Ed's annoyed expression.

"_More smarter_?" Dementor repeated with laugh "ja, _zat_ really proves how _smart_ you are!"

"Uh?" Drakken gaped, not quite getting what his rival was alluding to for a moment.

"Seriously, Drew, you're getting English grammar lessons from a non-native speaker!" Motor Ed pointed out, grinning a little – _that_ was what he got by claiming he was smarter than him. Seriously.

"Aye, I wouldn't brag about being smart if I were ye," Killigan grinned, leaning more comfortably against the wall – he had to admit, watching those two bantering was quite fun once you got used to it.

"Oh," was all Drakken said before shrugging "well, don't change subject – we're talking about being evil here, not about grammar, and _I'm a smarter than you are_!" he said triumphantly.

"You're not! You're just a…!"

"They really should stop being so mean to each other," Amy said, shaking her head a little "why can't we all get along?"

"Because we're bad guys and not a bunch of do-gooders?" Killigan suggested.

"Oh, right. Good point," she said with a shrug before turning to look at him with a bright smile "but I still think you're a real softie inside!" she added, poking his shoulder.

"Not _again_, lass!" Killigan grunted, but it did nothing to stop her giggling. Why couldn't she stop being so disturbingly cheerful anyway? And why the heck did she think he had gone soft or something? Soft. _Him._ The thought was just laughable.

"Seriously, stop yelling you two," Motor Ed finally spoke up, stepping forward with as if to prevent the two rivals to harm physically harm each other "what was up with the explosion anyway? You could have totally told us you got something without trying to blow us up. Seriously."

Dementor didn't even seem to hear his complaints, and his satisfied grin showed back on his face as he was reminded of the reason why the arguing had started in the first place. "Zat was just a little demonstration," he said, holding up the weapon he had been holding the whole time "behold my…er…vell, it still needs a name, but…behold!"

"Hey, careful with that thing – don't point it at me," Drakken protested, stepping behind Motor Ed – who, on the other hand, didn't really seem impressed.

"A bazooka? Dude, I don't think that would work against aliens. I mean, seriously. They surely tried it out already last time."

"Zhis is not a bazooka! It's…vell…just _look_!" Dementor exclaimed, pointing the weapon towards some samples of Lowardian metal that had once been part of a pod. Something similar to a bright yellow ray came out from the weapon and hit the Lowardian materials. For a moment nothing happened, then the scraps of…whatever it was turned white hot only for a moment before exploding.

"See?" Dementor said triumphantly, turning to look at the others "it accelerates z_e molecules__until_ zey lose cohesion, and ze result--"

"…is an explosion," Killigan finished, looking actually impressed for once "ye know, this is a really good one!"

"Of _course_," Dementor boasted "and ve could buy much larger ones! And zey only vork vith ze molecules of ze alien materials – no risks of accidents vith zhis!" he added, pointing the gun at Drakken to prove his point. His rival yelped and raised his hands as if it could really protect him somehow, but nothing happened as they ray hit him.

"Ooh, this is really smart," Amy said, looking rather impressed.

"Yeah, imagine their faces when their stuff blows up in their hands – this totally takes the cake, seriously," Motor Ed said, giving Dementor a thumbs up and gaining himself a glare from his cousin.

"It doesn't – my acid is better," he protested "and I have the Flower Power!" he added for good measure.

"It burns, doesn't it?" his rival taunted him, clearly satisfied by the fact he had managed to outshine him again. Not that he ever _doubted_ he would, of course.

"It doesn't – _everyone_ knows I'm the genius here!" Drakken said, folding his arms with a grimace and glancing away, ignoring the fact no one in the lab was paying any attention to the argument anymore. Well no one but Frugal Lucre, but it didn't mean much since he had just walked back inside the lab and hadn't seen the whole argument anyway.

"You _vish_," Dementor muttered before turning his back at him, a broad grin still on his face.

"I think you are the greatest genius," Frugal Lucre muttered, but his words only made Drakken roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks," he muttered sulkily before falling silent, faintly wondering if Shego would drop by to visit anytime soon.

* * *

Despite the anger still consuming him, Monkey Fist couldn't hold back a satisfied smirk as he landed on his palms and then sprang back on his feet, the robot's head rolling on the ground to hit the wall nearby – despite the months of immobility, his body seemed to be responding well to the training: the only effect had been having his muscles stiff and aching for a while, but now that he was getting used to moving again he was certain he would be back in shape in no time.

His smirk, however, vanished as his eyes rested on what was left of the robot. Oh, how wished it was one of those aliens, he thought in anger before quickly shaking his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.

He wasn't quite sure of why witnessing the destruction they had caused to the British Museum – and most likely to many other museums and archaeological sites around the globe – bothered him so much: if he ever had to, he knew he would have destroyed anything in his way. He probably shouldn't even have cared, but there was a part of him that was crying out in outrage upon witnessing the loss of so many treasures.

"Old habits are hard to get rid of, I suppose. But they will pay. I swear they will," Monkey Fist muttered aloud, still glancing in distaste at the remains of the robot. He had never been fond on such technology and he had always disliked the idea of using a robot for training – how useful could it be, fighting and unanimated object without even a brain? – but it seemed to be his only choice for now. For a moment he had considered asking for his monkey ninjas to be brought there for him to train with them, especially since they probably hadn't had a proper training session in months, but he had eventually decided against it: his new powers could show up unexpectedly, and that would put anyone training with him in mortal danger.

He better keep training with unanimated objects until he could control his powers – and after that, he could turn his attention to…other targets. A grin curled his lips at the thought, but it quickly vanished as he turned to glance at the scrolls he had brought with him in the training room. No matter how well his body was working with simple training, he still couldn't manage to unleash the Power of Yono: he had tried during the training already, but he had no success.

_No matter_, he thought, sitting on the ground and picking up a scroll. _It's here – I know it is. I only have to learn out to unlock it, and these scrolls are the key. They have to be._

_

* * *

_

Dr. Director sighed as she leant back o her seat, thankful of the fact Senior's lair had a small screen in each room to communicate with the outside – should any of her agents ever witness her current conversation, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to show her face in the GJ headquarters again without causing some snickering.

"Yes, mom, I did have breakfast – and yes, I'm fine," she said, holding back a sigh as she glanced at the aging woman on the screen. She didn't exactly know what had made her think it would have been nice contacting her mother in the protected location she was to reassure her she was fine, but she was regretting it already.

"How are things going there?" she asked, taking a mental note to make sure Team Possible could contact their families as well – after all, they had been taken there without even getting a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. As much as she hated to think about it, she knew there could be no other chance for them to speak with their families.

Her mother shrugged. "Oh, fine enough, but it's kind of boring. These people won't tell me anything," she said, glaring sideways to a few GJ agents to her left.

"Mom, it's the protocol – civilian are not to be informed unless the danger is immediate," Dr. Director repeated for the seventh time.

"Oh, you and your protocols," her mother rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, chuckling a little, then she changed subject "how about Sheldon? Is he there too?"

Thinking about it, Dr. Director would have rather had her keep asking if she did have breakfast or if she has spotted any 'interesting guy'.

"He's in another area," she lied quickly – she knew their mother had not idea her son really was a criminal, but she couldn't remember what lie Gemini had told her about his…job "he's fine. I'll tell him you asked."

Her mother nodded with a sigh. "You two never stop to get me worried," she said with a smile before turning serious "Betty, I want you to be honest – how bad is the situation?"

Dr. Director hesitated – it was confidential information she couldn't share with a civilian, but she knew her mother wouldn't accept _that_ explanation. "Things are under control for now," she just said, then she forced herself to smile a little "don't worry for me and Sheldon, we'll be fine."

The older woman nodded. "I understand. Tell Sheldon I said hi, and…well, take care of yourselves."

"We will, don't worry."

"And, Betty?"

"Yes?"

"I'm proud of you. Of both of you."

* * *

"That guy is going to be in deep trouble if he doesn't show up in five minutes," Gemini muttered to no one in particular as he absentmindedly scratched Pepe's head, causing the chihuahua to yelp in appreciation. Frugal Lucre was supposed to bring him out for a walk, but he hadn't shown up yet. He was going to remind him how little patience he had as soon as he showed up – why on Earth had he decided to hire that incompetent fool anyway? Oh, yes – because Pepe seemed to like him as a chew toy. The thought made him smirk a little, but his smirk turned into an annoyed frown as someone knocked.

"Who's there?"

"Agent Gamma, sir – a package was delivered for you from the Hench Co."

Gemini blinked – he hadn't been expecting anything from the Hench Co. – before pressing a button to open the door. "Leave it here and get lost," he ordered as agent Gamma nervously stepped in and put the package on the desk "if you meet Lucre, tell him he better be here in a minute if he doesn't want to be obliterated."

"Yes sir," agent Gamma said quickly before stepping outside, clearly relieved by the fact nothing he had said or done had caused Gemini's anger. Alright, they weren't in the WEE headquarters and there were no trapdoors their leader could use to dispose of them, but that mechanical hand of his was still dangerous.

"Now, what do we have here?" Gemini muttered, letting Pepe sit on the desk and reaching to open the package, and he frowned in confusion as he saw a mechanical hand inside, identical to his own "what…?"

"I figured out you might want to have it improved – just in case of emergency," a known voice said behind him as the screen on the desk switched on, causing Gemini to grin.

"Jack," he greeted, turning back to the screen "you have a perfect timing, as usual."

Jack Hench chuckled. "A good timing is essential for any businessman. You should know."

"I see," Gemini said before turning his attention back to the new mechanical hand "improved, you said?"

"Yes. We changed the explosive in the missiles with the one Killigan came up with, since it can damage Lowardian materials, and we made it more resistant and able to carry more ammunitions. And, if you look closer, you can see a small button near the wrist…yes, that one. It can create a small force field as a shield."

"Seems amazing," Gemini's grin widened as he took off his mechanical hand from the stump and replaced it with the new one "but I guess it shouldn't surprise me. How much do I owe you?"

Jack Hench dismissively waved his hand. "We'll talk about the price later – you're a good customer."

Gemini raised an eyebrow. "Good?"

Hench chuckled. "You know what I mean," he said before pausing, observing him as he began to try out his new hand "my offer of giving you a bionic eye is still valid," he finally said "I'd make you a good price."

Gemini grinned, still flexing his mechanical fingers. "I'm flattered, but the answer is no," he clenched his new hand, clearly satisfied by it. Not that he expected any less from the Hench Co. "this is enough already."

Hench didn't seem surprised by his answer. "I see. I suppose not even offering you that bionic eye for free would make you change you mind, would it?"

"No. It isn't about money," Gemini said, his left hand reaching up to touch his eye patch "it's a reminder."

"It happened years ago," Jack Hench said reasonably, but he knew it was a lost cause. He liked to think of himself as a neutral, successful businessman that simply did his job, and he had always thought of villainy as a business that – like all kind of businesses – should be separated by personal issues. He would have normally told Gemini that there was no need to hold grudge, that it had been just business – losing limbs was one of the risks villains were subjected to, after all – but he had known the leader of WEE long enough to know such arguments wouldn't work with him. After all, his rivalry with the head of Global Justice _was_ personal and far from being 'just business'.

"A good reason why I should be reminded of who's my enemy every day," was Gemini's predictable reply.

Hench sighed. "You're too stubborn for your own good," he said, but he didn't insist any further.

Gemini frowned. "You're starting to sound like my sister," he pointed out "and that is _bad_. As in a bad way of bad, not a good way of…er…" he paused, then he shrugged "just stop speaking like my sister, alright? I know what I'm doing."

The other man nodded, slightly amused. "You won't hear anything like that from me again. In this case, I can only wish you good luck. Should you or GJ need anything else, you know where to find me."

"More stuff for free?" Gemini grinned "I thought this went against your policy."

"Usually, yes – but it's in my best interest helping to keep the planet safe. It would be rather hard to keep running a business without a planet to stay on, wouldn't it?"

* * *

Monkey Fist gave a frustrated snort as he threw another scroll away, his features twisted in a grimace. "What a waste of time," he muttered in disgust as the scroll hit the wall and fell on the ground. So much for Global Justice's unlimited sources, he though cynically before sighing and sitting back on the ground, his chin resting in his palm as he let his gaze wander through the training room – after some simple training he was satisfied by how well his body had reacted, but now there was very little point in going on while he wasn't able to unlock the Power of Yono.

As long as he couldn't unlock the power in him, all the information GJ had gathered had no use for him. Well, not exactly: at least now he knew some information he had been unaware of until then – such as the detail that the Mark of Yono would turn into stone its bearer in case of defeated. Had he known that before, he probably would have thought about it twice before allowing the Yono to pass down the Mark to him, Monkey Fist mused with a scowl as he glanced at the back of his left hand.

He couldn't see the Mark now, but he knew it was there – which was one more problem. As long as he had that Mark, being defeated by the Han or anyone else would result with him turning into stone again. The only way he could avoid the risk would be passing down the Mark to someone else, much like the previous Yono had done to him – but then he would be forced to do the bidding of whoever wore the Mark like a slave, until his master was defeated and became the new Yono, setting him free from its influence. And Monkey Fist simply refused to be a slave: he would get back into his petrified slumber rather than becoming a servant!

_One more reason to awaken the power inside you as soon as you can – the fact you cannot use it doesn't mean you won't be turned into stone if defeated._

The monkey man shook his head almost angrily. He knew it was true – ironically enough, being the bearer of the Mark of Yono and being unable to use the power made him more vulnerable than ever. One defeat would be enough to turn him back in a stone statue, and there would be no second chance. An eternity as DNAmy's living room ornament wasn't a much better thought than an eternity of servitude to him.

He had to awaken the Power of Yono resting in him, he thought with a scowl, and he had to do it _now_. He knew he had the power, he could sense it, but he couldn't do more than that. It felt like there was something preventing him to access to the power, but he didn't know what, and it was frustrating beyond belief.

None of the information Global Justice had provided him was of any help – actually, from what he had gathered, it seemed that the Yono was supposed to have immediate access to the power: that it could take him time to control it was a given, but he should have been able to awaken it since the very same moment he had been released from his stone state. Why couldn't he?

Monkey Fist tried to hold back the frustration that thought never failed to fuel and sighed as he took a lotus position. Not even meditating had helped him to figure out what the problem was yet, but trying to focus on the dormant power in him still seemed to be his only possibility to unlock it somehow – at least, it was the only way he could think of until he could find some new information.

He had to keep trying.

* * *

"…and then I only add the chocolate chips before putting them in the oven," Amy said cheerfully as she finished to set up the DNA mixer and typed something on the keyboard "it's much easier than it seems, really."

"Chocolate chips, oven," Frugal Lucre muttered as he wrote it down on a block notes – those cupcakes were absolutely delicious, so it wouldn't hurt bringing the recipe to his mother as soon as the emergency was over…if they managed to avoid extinction, that was it. And if he managed to survive long enough as Pepe's caretaker – that wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he had asked to be recruited as a WEE agent. He didn't even get a proper uniform, and sometimes he wondered if Gemini had really wanted to let him become a WEE agent in the first place. For a moment he considered trying to protest, but the idea was quickly discarded – the leader of WEE was definitely the last person he wanted to have mad at him. Well, maybe not quite the last one, but close enough. "Thank you, Ms. Hall – my mother will love them."

"Oh, you're welcome," Amy chirped, causing a certain golfer to snort in annoyance – did she simply have to be that friendly to _everyone_? It was just annoying watching her chatting with that guy, he thought. He should have gone to eat something with the others rather than staying there with Amy and Lucre. Why had he stayed anyway? Oh, right – because he didn't want to listen the bantering between Drakken and Dementor.

"Och, aren't ye supposed to be doing something more useful than telling him how to bake cupcakes?" Killigan asked "and shouldn't ye be taking Gemini's psycho dog out for a walk anyway?"

His words caused Frugal Lucre to jump on his feet, glancing at his watch. "Oh, dear, I completely forgot!" he exclaimed, nearly panicking – his boss wasn't exactly known for his patience with henchmen, especially when his beloved pet was involved "I have to run – thanks again, Ms. Hall," he yelled, rushing outside.

"Call me a Amy!" she called after him, waving, then she frowned a little as she turned to Killigan. "Not need to be so grumpy all time, you know. We were just chatting," she chided him "what's the problem?"

"Uh…" Killigan hesitated – what _was_ the problem anyway? – before shrugging. "We have an invasion coming, lass – one would say it would be a good reason to get something done instead of losing time chatting about pancakes."

"Oh, don't be silly, it only took a minute. And everything is ready anyway – I can start creating nasty beasties any moment."

"Ah," Killigan blinked "why aren't ye?"

She smiled a little sheepishly. "Well, there is one little problem," she admitted "it's about the mind control chips – Dementor said I should put them on the creatures' forehead, and…" she paused, her sheepish smile widening a little "well, I don't know how to put the chips on their heads – they're big beasties, you know, and we cannot reach their head when they're standing. I wouldn't want to have them on the loose causing trouble in the lair…" she said a little worriedly. Maybe they should wait for the others to get back in the lab: they surely could think of a way to take care of the problem.

Killigan shrugged. "Och, is it all?" he said "that's no big deal, lass – I know how to take care of this."

Amy blinked. "Really?" she asked, sounding rather surprised.

"Aye – one doesn't need to be some _genius_ to figure it out," Killigan said a little smugly, grabbing one of his gold clubs – the fact he had brought them with him in the lab had caused some hilarity among other villains – and walking in front of the DNA mixer. He observed the device for a few moments, then he took a few steps back and nodded to himself. "Fine, now give me that mind control stuff and get that thing working," he said, faintly hoping the mind control chips would be resistant enough to not break once he hit them. "…what?" he asked as he noticed Amy was staring at him, looking rather puzzled.

"Well, it is really nice of you helping me out, but maybe we should wait for--"

Killigan snorted. "I _know_ what I'm doing, lass. Get me that stuff, and ye'll see!"

Amy hesitated only for a moment before doing as she was told – she was really curious to see what he had in mind. Besides, she thought with a small giggle as she grabbed the mind control chips, even though he was a tad rough, it _was_ nice of him helping her out. As far as she could remember, she thought with a slight frown, her Montykins had never done anything like that.

* * *

"Okay, let's take a break."

"But, Wade…!"

"_Ron_," the boy genius really yelled, clearly exasperated.

"…okay, maybe we could take a break after all," Ron said quickly, but he was unable to hold back a sigh as he sat on the ground.

Wade hesitated. "Well, it didn't go _that_ bad," he tried to cheer him up, deactivating the battlesuit "you're getting really good with the battlesuit."

Ron gave him a weak grin. "Oh, yeah, right. Booyah," he said, but his voice clearly lacked of the usual enthusiasm. Only a few days before the fact he was actually managing to put the battlesuit at good use would have cheered him up, but not now. He hadn't managed to use his powers again – there hadn't been one single spark of blue, no bursts of strength, and the robots had nearly killed him every time Wade had tried to shut off the battlesuit without warning. Good thing the boy genius had always been quick to reactivate the shield.

It looked like Sensei was right – somehow, he was holding back his powers, and he had no idea of how he could get over it. Unless…well, now _that_ really seemed the only solution, Ron thought, shuddering a little.

"So, what now?" Wade asked.

Ron shrugged. "Looks like this isn't working – if I want to use the freaky monkey magic here, I'm going to need some help from someone that knows how it works."

"You mean Monkey Fist?"

"Who else?"

"He's going to kill you just for _asking_, Ron."

The other boy sighed. "Yeah, probably. Monkey magic sucks."

* * *

The room was completely silent except for Monkey Fist's steady breathing as he at in the middle of the room meditating, his eyes shut, his mind drifting in the somewhat soothing darkness of his mind. Oh, yes, he could _feel_ the Power of Yono in him – it was strong, he could nearly feel it _boiling_ in his chest, waiting to be unleashed…but he couldn't _reach _it, no matter how much he focused on it: if only he could create a bond between his mind and the power! That would let it flow freely in him and--

_Proceeding for attempts, I see. _

As the all too familiar voice suddenly spoke from the darkness Monkey Fist almost snapped out of his trance, startled – but he still had enough self-control to stay focused.

_Yono?_

_No, I'm not. You are._

It took all Monkey Fist's will to not let his anger take him over and snap him out from his trance, but he somehow managed to stay focused again, ignoring his own anger. Well, almost.

_You have some nerve to show up again!_

_Excuse me?_

_You had me turned into stone! You betrayed me!_

_Oh, _please_. You told me you wanted to follow the Path of the Yono, and I gave you what you wanted. It's hardly my fault if you were foolish enough to agree without even knowing what it was about._

Monkey Fist repressed a growl, his eyes still tightly shut – he hated to admit it, but he was right. He had agreed to follow that path without fully knowing what the consequences could be. Still, that unpleasant turn of events had given him something: the Power of Yono. A thought suddenly hit him – if he didn't know how to use it, the previous Yono did. It was worth a try.

_Why are you here?_

_Let's just say I decided to give you some advice. You haven't even been able to unlock the power, I see. And before you ask yes, I know what is preventing you from using the power._

_How did you know…?_

_Well, I'm the previous bearer of the Power of Yono; as long as you have the power, it creates a connection between my mind and yours – how do you think I'd be able to speak with you otherwise?_

Monkey Fist wasn't sure he liked the idea.

_You can read my mind?_

_More or less: I can only know some of your thoughts, and take a look to a few memories._

_In this case, I have to ask you to stop. I don't precisely appreciate having someone else in my mind._

_Killjoy. Who is the woman with the gorilla body?_

_Oh, for heaven's sake…! Of all memories I have, did you _have_ to pick the worst one?_

_She doesn't look so bad._

_Excuse me?_

_With the gorilla body, I mean._

Once again, it took all Monkey Fist's willpower to not shudder the thought.

_Oh, for the love of…are you here with the purpose of making me sick?_

_Not exactly – then again, you might not like the news I have for you._

_I thought you could tell me what is preventing me from unleashing the Power of Yono._

_Of course I can. But I doubt you'll like it._

_Let me decide if I like it or not – tell me what I have to do!_

_You cannot unleash the Power of Yono because there is another power resting in you – just a fraction of another power, and very weak, but it's still enough to keep the Power of Yono blocked to not be overcome. _

It took a few moments for his words to sink in Monkey Fist's mind – the previous Yono had been right; he didn't like it at all.

_Are you telling me…?_

_Yes. The part of Mystical Monkey Power in you is clashing with the Power of Yono, keeping you from unleashing it – those two powers were never meant to be together. If you want to unleash your new powers, you have to get rid of Mystical Monkey Power._

_No! Mystical Monkey Power is all I was ever after!_

_It's your only choice._

_You can't expect me to give up on anything I ever worked for! I won't!_

_In this case, you will have neither of the powers._

_You're lying!_

_And I should lie to you because…?_

Anger boiled in Monkey Fist's chest, and it took him an awful effort to stay focused and not let his anger snap him out of his meditation and interrupt the contact.

_I refuse to believe you!_

_Whether you believe me or not is no longer my problem. I told you what I had to, so now I'll be all too happy to wish you good luck and get back to my vacation._

_Vacation?_

_The fact I'm speaking to your mind doesn't mean I cannot physically be somewhere else. I have to admit I missed quite a lot of things in the past few…what year is it again?_

_You are taking a _vacation_?_

_Well, forgive me if I decided to take one after spending centuries as a stone statue. You should do the same – especially since you won't accomplish anything unless you get rid of Mystical Monkey Power._

_No! Never!_

_In that case, you might as well forget anything you have in mind for the Power of Yono, take a vacation and enjoy life – which, unless the planet is destroyed, will last all eternity. Might I suggest you the Fiji Islands?_

A cry of rage broke the silence as Money Fist snapped from his trance, his eyes reddened with fury. "No!" he shouted to the empty room "it can't be! There _must_ be another way!" He fell silent for a few minutes as if waiting for an answer, panting slightly after his outburst. But, predictably enough, no answer came from the empty room.


	10. Not just a river in Egypt

_A/N: well, apparently there is no way I can manage to get more than a chapter done each month. Not until September, at least - busy times can't last forever, but they apparently can get close enough XD_

_Once again, sorry for the wait!_

_

* * *

  
_

"You know, Kimmie, this is getting kinda boring," Shego muttered, blocking Kim's high kick and trying to hit her. She usually liked fighting the redhead, really, but after doing so for hours _each single_ day she had to admit the whole thing lost some of its fun. It was becoming a routine, she realized, and that was taking away most of the thrill that made her look forward to each new fight.

"Odd, I thought you always had fun with challenges," Kim remarked, ducking under Shego's blow and trying to trip her "are you sure you're not just getting too old to fight much?" she said snidely. Still, she had to admit her opponent had a point – after so much fighting more for training than to actual _fight_, the whole thing was getting a little dull. A little.

Shego snorted. "You _know_ what I mean, Princess," she said dryly as she shot some plasma at her.

"Oh, I see," Kim said with a grin – she had another possibility to mock her opponent, and she wasn't going to waste it "maybe you'd rather drop by the lab to pay a visit to Drakken?"

A grimace crossed Shego's features just foe a moment, but she knew better than letting Kim's provocations get the better of her. "It would be a nice change, considering how _boring_ you are lately," she retorted with a shrug, before leaning again the wall – after two full hours, a break wouldn't be so bad.

"You're not being much of a challenge either," Kim muttered, but she didn't seem to mind a break either. She stayed silent for a few moments, "do you think that explosion came from the lab?"

"Sure it did. I wonder what in the world are they doing over there."

"Hopefully something useful," Kim said just a little bitterly – the thought she simply could do nothing until the actual invasion happened was still infuriatingly frustrating "unless they blew up the whole lab. I wonder if they'll manage to destroy it by the time Lowardians attack."

"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of _when_," Shego stated "I'm betting my next two pay checks that either Dr. D or Dementor will cause some more trouble."

"Yeah, I bet," Kim frowned a little "speaking of pay checks, what are you doing with Drakken _now_ anyway? I thought he had kinda given up on taking over the world."

Shego winced slightly, but thankfully Kim didn't notice. Actually, she had been wondering the same thing for a few weeks now. Drakken was now a hero, the world had acknowledged his genius, he was nothing short from a celebrity in the scientific community, and he no longer seemed to be into trying to take over the world anymore – so why would he still need a sidekick? He didn't _need_ one, that was it.

Lately she had been more like a _secretary_ than a sidekick to him, and it certainly wasn't what she had wanted to do when she had gotten into evil. She had been tempted to ask Drakken about his intentions regarding her position, but she had never done so because, as much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't sure she wanted to really know his answer. Well, not that she was _worried_ – why should she? It wouldn't take her much to find another employee – but it was still a question whose answer she wasn't sure she wanted to know so soon.

"It's kind of a hiatus, that's all," Shego finally said with a shrug "we'll see what happens once we get rid of the Lowardians – but as for now, he _still_ needs my help," she emphasized the last words, clearly not wanting anyone to question her statement. Because of course Drakken would need her and her skills, no matter what – Dr.D, going on by himself and without her making sure he didn't mess up too badly? Yeah, _right_.

"Ooookay, I get it, don't bite," Kim said, holding up her hands, but she still had a knowing smirk on her face that Shego felt a sudden urge to burn away "I was just asking."

"Don't be asking," Shego nearly growled as she turned to leave the training room.

Kim raised an eyebrow as her opponent left. "Wow, I hit a nerve," she said to no one in particular, but her satisfaction was rather short-lived: okay, she got the upper hand, but what now? Dull as it was starting to get, training to be ready fro the invasion was pretty much the only thing she could do right now to keep herself busy. She faintly wondered what her family and friends could be doing in that same moment, but she immediately shook her head as if to chase away the thought – they were fine, she knew they were. There was no need to worry at all…still, the fact she hadn't even gotten to speak with her family before she was brought to the GJ headquarters and they were sent to a protected location bothered her. At least Ron had gotten to meet his parents when she went to take Hana, she thought with a slight pang of jealousy.

Speaking of Ron, maybe she should take a break and see how he was doing with his battlesuit, she thought – Wade seemed to be enthusiast, and she was curious to see how much progress he was doing. Besides, she hadn't be able to spend much time with him lately, and she missed his company. Once they got rid of Lowardians – she totally _refused_ to even think they could lose that war – they were _so_ going to take a couple of weeks of vacation before college started to make up for their ruined summer, she decided.

She was pretty sure Ron would have loved the idea, but maybe it was better to not tell him anything – he would most likely start blabbering about how great it was going to be staying on a beach the whole day while drinking from a coconut and lose focus on the invasion, Kim mused. Sometimes she almost envied how laid back Ron could be in any situation – he surely wasn't feeling nearly as restless as she was now, Kim mused.

Then again, he did seem slightly worried for some reason lately. Well, they had an invasion coming after all, so not even Ron would probably manage to be totally relaxed anyway. Besides, having to share the same roof – could she even call it 'roof' considering that the lair was pretty much a fake mountain? – with his arch foe probably didn't help. Especially since said arch-foe was completely crazy and most likely bore an impressive power. Kim grimaced uncomfortably, as she always did when she thought about Monkey Fist.

She just hoped releasing him hadn't been a mistake.

* * *

Monkey Fist let out a roar of rage as he threw the book against the wall, pages scattering over the metal floor, but he barely noticed. "There must be a way," he muttered for the millionth time "_there must be a way_! I refuse to give up on Mystical Monkey Power, do you hear me? I _refuse_ to!" Monkey Fist yelled at the empty room, not knowing if Yono – the _previous_ Yono – could hear him, and not really caring. That cursed monkey had to be lying!

_He had no reason to._

It couldn't be true – he refused to believe it could be true! He wouldn't accept having to lose on the only thing he had ever really wanted. He had given up on everything he had to possess Mystical Monkey Power – _everything_, because he knew that power was meant to be his! It was his _destiny_, and he would never give up on it. Never!

Monkey Fist gritted his teeth. "He was wrong!" he seethed, his eyes bloodshot with fury "he was _wrong_!"

But he knew he was denying the obvious. Given than the previous Yono hadn't been lying – and, as much as he loathed to admit it, he couldn't think of any reason why he should – it was rather hard to really believe he was wrong about that. He had been the bearer of that same power for centuries after all: if there was a creature in the universe that knew everything about the Power of Yono, it was him.

"There could be another way to unleash the power. Something he's not aware of," Monkey Fist said aloud, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it – if indeed there was another way to be able to unleash the power, it was hardly plausible that the previous Yono wouldn't know it. If he said Mystical Monkey Power and the Power of Yono couldn't co-hesist in the same person, he was probably telling the truth.

_You cannot be both the Ultimate Monkey Master and the Yono. You have to choose._

"I will never give up on Mystical Monkey Power," Monkey Fist snarled to the empty room "_never_."

_This means you'd have to give up on the Power of Yono. You cannot use it as long as you have Mystical Monkey power – and have you ever thought the powers could stop just blocking each other and start conflicting?_

Monkey Fist frowned. No, he hadn't thought about until that moment…and now the thought sent a chill down his spine. If the two powers began conflicting, Mystical Monkey Power could as well be erased from him: he only possessed a portion of that power, while the Power of Yono was in him in its fullness. And even taking into account that the portion of Mystical Monkey Power in him could match the Power of Yono…

_Why, no need of ancient scrolls: it's basic physics. Two forces that are equal and opposite…_

"…nullify each other," Monkey Fist muttered through clenched teeth. It was true – unless he did _something_, the perspectives were less than bright: if the powers kept blocking each other, he wouldn't be able to unleash any of them. If they began conflicting, he would either lose Mystical Monkey Power for good or end up without any power at all – and either way he highly doubted it would be a pleasant experience should the powers within him actually start conflicting.

Actually, there was a good possibility their opposition would nullify _him_ as well – they were both devastating powers after all. He couldn't help but swallow at the thought – it was one more reason to make a decision, and quickly. He had to choose between the two powers, one way or another. But which one…?

"Mystical Monkey Power is what matters the most!" Monkey Fist growled, restlessly pacing back and forth "I'm meant to be the Monkey Master, and I won't let anyone take it from me! That title belongs to me!"

_Then why haven't you ever managed to accomplish anything with Mystical Monkey Power?_

Monkey Fist froze, his eyes widening slightly, but he immediately got a grip on himself. "I could use the Lotus Blade," he said aloud "I could _control_ it."

_So could Stoppable._

"Stoppable is nothing but an useless buffoon! He only got the power by accident – no, he _stole_ it from me! He's never managed to accomplish anything with it – it doesn't belong to _him_!"

_Still, you never managed to do much more than Stoppable did with it, did you?_

Monkey Fist growled, but before he could think of anything great he had achieved with Mystical Monkey Power that Stoppable hadn't there was a fain buzzing – the door of the training room opening. He got a grip on himself and turned to see Senior stepping inside…without the Han, thankfully. He didn't exactly fancy having to face that blasted infant until he knew what to do with her.

_With _it_. It's a weapon. Don't think of her as a person like those fools do._

Yes, it was a weapon – just like he was now, he mused, but he immediately chased the thought away and turned his attention back to the old man.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything important – if so, I apologize," Senior said "I simply wished to let you know supper is ready. Do you wish to have your meal served directly in your room?" he asked. Unsurprisingly enough, for now only Team Possible, Dr. Director and occasionally DNAmy would sit around a table to eat – everyone else would rather than having their meals served in their own rooms, or directly in the lab…or they would simply raid the pantry whe hungry in some cases – mostly Motor Ed and Ron Stoppable. As for himself, Senior firmly believed it was a good host's duty to attend dinners with his guests.

Monkey Fist was about to say he would eat in his room – the less he had to see DNAmy and Stoppable, the better – then he remembered he was suppose to start training his body to stay without nourishment now that he was virtually immortal. "Nevermind – I no longer require nourishment. One of the advantages of being a living mystical--" Monkey Fist suddenly trailed off, his words dying in his throat as he realized one thing he had neglected: while the Power of Yono wouldn't make him the Monkey Master and could cause him to be turned into stone if defeated, it granted him one thing Mystical Monkey Power couldn't give him.

It could give him something man had been longing for since the most ancient times – _immortality._

The mere thought of all the things he could do, of all the greatness he could achieve with all eternity at his disposal caused his head to spin for a second. He would be immortal! More than just a man or a monkey, he would be the closest thing to a _god_ there could ever be…!

"Lord Fiske? Are you feeling alright?" Senior inquired with a slightly concerned frown.

"I…" Monkey Fist forced himself to regain control – he couldn't let anyone know what he was planning to do. Not as long as they had the Han. "My apologies, I simply feel tired. I suppose a hot meal is required after all – might I ask to have it delivered in my room? I'm almost done here in any case."

The old man nodded. "I see," he said, giving a curious glance at the shattered book Monkey Fist had thrown against the wall in a fit of rage "may I inquire if there was any progress?"

The monkey man gave him an odd, bitter smile as he thought back to the sacrifice he would have to make if he wanted to use the Power of Yono…and to keep immortality. "Yes. More than I hoped for, I'm afraid."

"Excuse me?"

"Nevermind, it was nothing important," Monkey Fist lied. It was important indeed, the most important thing in the world…but Senior didn't need to know it. He wouldn't understand in any case: none of those fools would. "But yes, there was some progress."

Senior smiled. "That sounds most promising," he said somewhat encouragingly, and Monkey Fist briefly wondered if the old man had purposely decided to behave as if he was everyone's grandfather "I suppose I'll see you think evening – we're going to have a reunion to discuss our progress, and to receive an update on the situation with the Lowardian spaceships."

Monkey Fist grimaced inwardly. He didn't really want to have to meet anyone there – especially not DNAmy, not Stoppable and _definitely_ not the Han…then again, it was probably in his own interest to play along for now. Just until he could crush them with…with whatever power he decided to keep, he thought uneasily. "I'll be there."

"Perfect – now, if you'll excuse me, I think I better hurry back. I'd rather not leave little Hana alone with Gemini more than it's strictly necessary."

"Did he try to obliterate her?" the monkey man asked somewhat hopefully.

Senior chuckled. "God, no – no one is that heartless," he said, not noticing how Monkey Fist had raised a sceptical eyebrow "but he seems to be trying to turn her to evil just in spite of his sister – isn't it saddening how two siblings simply cannot get along? Family should mean more than rivalry," he said with a sigh, but the monkey man didn't exactly share his interest on the matter.

"For his own good, then tell him I warmly suggest him to reconsider," Monkey Fist said dryly "or, if he really wants to try, to keep her in a soundproof room."

Despite the fact he was being absolutely serious and despite not being exactly in his best mood, Monkey Fist could help but find Senior's puzzled expression quite amusing.

* * *

"You know, I doubt a marshmallow would be enough to turn anyone to crime," Dr. Director said coldly, watching as her brother held some candy just above Hana Stoppable's reach "leave her alone."

Gemini scowled as he turned his attention from the giggling child and glared at her. "Don't you have anyone else to bother?"

"I should be asking the same to you," Dr. Director took a step forward, ignoring the way Pepe had begun snarling at her "leave the child alone, she has nothing to do with it."

"Why not? I thought it was just business," he retorted with a sneer.

"It is, and Hana has nothing to do with it," she said coldly "stop bothering her."

"Bothering? She seems to be having fun," Gemini pointed out with a smirk as Hana laughed again and reached for Pepe with a squeal – Dr. Director actually raised an eyebrow in mild surprise as she noticed that the chihuahua was actually letting her pet him without freaking out in any way before glaring at her brother.

"You know exactly what I mean. Besides, you heard what happened to Monkey Fist when he tried to bring her to his side – and believe me, I won't be getting through the trouble of getting you back if you get turned into a statue or something. Less trouble for me."

"My, I'm moved," Gemini said sarcastically "and out of curiosity, what would you tell mom if something like that happened?" he smirked "she would be devastated. And you don't want it, don't you?"

Dr. Director growled. "You're despicable."

"I know, thank you."

She gritted her teeth. "You know, I just contacted her since you didn't bother doing so. She's fine, and she asked about you. She said she's _proud_ of you. And you know what?" she stared straight in his only eye "if she only knew the truth rather than your lies, she would only think of you as the disgrace you truly are."

It was a lie and definitely a low blow, she knew it – but right now all she wanted was erasing that infuriating smirk from his face. And indeed his smirk immediately vanished, and for a brief instant before he scowled in anger he almost seemed _hurt_, but she didn't feel as satisfied as she usually was when she managed to get the last word: she only felt oddly disgusted the low blow she had just delivered.

"Why don't you tell her the truth then?" he barked, slamming his mechanical and on the desk and startling Pepe and Hana "why doesn't mommy's little girl tell her who the black sheep is? You always wanted to be her _favourite_ – go ahead!"

Dr. Director opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a single word Senior's voice came from behind her. "I hope you didn't start fighting in front of the child – you should know it would be highly inappropriate," the old man said, and Hana immediately turned to him, eagerly reaching out for him.

"Not at all – I was leaving," Gemini seethed, getting up from the desk and glaring daggers at his sister before gesturing for his dog to follow him "come, Pepe," he called, and the chihuahua promptly jumped in his arms.

She glared back at him as he left, then she turned back to Senior. "Any news from Monkey Fist?"

"Lord Fiske told me there has been some progress, although he wasn't very specific. He also said he will take part to this evening's reunion," he addend, taking Hana in his arms.

"Perfect," Dr. Director nodded, taking a mental note of making sure he and DNAmy would be at the opposite sides of the table. Same for Stoppable…and definitely so for Drakken and Dementor: those two simply couldn't stay in the same room without starting a fight, apparently.

_Look who's talking._

Dr. Director shook her head as if to chase away some thought. "Would you mind staying here with the child another while?" she asked to Senior "it's my intention to let Team Possible contact their families before the force fields make it impossible, and I suppose Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable would want to see her as well."

Senior nodded. "I wouldn't mind at all – they must be terribly worried. Parents shouldn't stay separated from their children for so long," he said, a somewhat melancholic smile on his lips.

* * *

Amy hesitated just for a moment, her hand lingering on the keyboard – she only had to press one button for the DNA mixer to start working now that all the settings were ready, but still…

"Are you sure…?"

"I told ye I know what I'm doing, lass!" Killigan snapped, his golf club still raised, the mind control chip – good thing Dementor had decided to make them bigger than usual to spare time, he thought – on the ground just in front of him. "Do ye think I'm going to miss? That's not going to happen. Ever!" he added, sounding nearly outraged.

She shook her head. "Well, no, but…"

"Then press that button and let's get done with it – I've got better to do than standing here, ye know," he said impatiently, and his grip on the golf club tightened as she finally pressed the button and the DNA mixer got in function. Well, it was a tad late to have doubts now…but he really, _really_ hoped the mind control chips wouldn't break once he hit them. He better be careful, he decided – it wasn't like he fancied having some kind of giant dino thing wandering in the--

A sudden grumbling sound suddenly snapped him from his thoughts – Killigan turned just in time to see a huge creature that looked everything like some dinosaur emerging from the DNA mixer, it's eyes fixed on him, fangs bared. Fine, cute and cuddly it _wasn't_ – it looked like a perfect weapon, really. He had to admit that the lass had surprised him: she clearly knew what she was doing. Not bad, but still no match for him.

"Alright, lad, dodge this," Killigan muttered under his breath, swinging the golf club and hitting the mind-control chip. The small device hit the creature straight between its eyes, and the impact activated it. The chip immediately clung to the scaly skin with a faint beeping sound, and a small red light turned on just as the creature suddenly stopped moving and stayed motionless, its gaze unfocused as it waited for orders.

"Aye, that's more like it," Killigan couldn't hold back a proud smirk as Amy clapped her hands like a child in a candy shop and approached the creature. She reached up to stroke its muzzle, and it didn't even react: it just stared ahead with dazed eyes, waiting for orders. She ordered it to sit down, and the creature complied.

"Ooh, this is perfect!" she shrilled, turning to look at him with a wide smile "we can create all the nasty beasties we need without having to worry they coulf give us trouble – you had wonderful idea, Duffy!"

Killigan's puffed out his chest, his smirk widening. "Aye, I know. I told ye…wait, _how_ did ye call me?" he protested, but she wasn't listening to him anymore.

"Do you think you could do that another few times?" she asked "the lab is big enough, so I could create some more to have the guys of GJ bringing them away before I get into creating more. We'll have an _army_ of them in no time!"

"Och, sure," Killigan said with a shrug – despite what he had said earlier, it wasn't like he had that much stuff to do right now, so why not?

Amy seemed delighted. "You're the sweetest," she chirped, giving him a hug.

The golfer shifted uncomfortably, instinctively trying to break free from her grasp – it was a half-hearted attempt, however. "I'm not _sweet_!" he protested.

"And here you play grumpy again," she giggled, reaching to pinch his cheek. Killigan opened his mouth to protest, but before he could utter a single word she had already turned her attention back to the DNA mixer. "Are you ready, Duffy?" she asked, smiling brightly – it looked like creating homemade creature was the thing she enjoyed the most, he mused briefly.

"Aye," he replied, putting another mind-control chip on the ground and stepping back "just one thing, lass."

"What?"

_"Stop calling me like that!"_

She giggled. "You're as grumpy as a bear," she said, then she paused and frowned in thought "oh, that's it – how about 'pookie bear'?"

Killigan held back a sigh. "Duffy it is," he said, silently thanking whoever could hear him that Motor Ed wasn't there to see them. He would never hear the end of it if he did.

* * *

"For the last time, Shego isn't getting with you in a _billion years_!" Drakken repeated for the millionth time, glaring at his cousin – would it ever get through his thick head that there was simply no way Shego could be interested in him? It was clear to everyone with half a brain that she couldn't stand him, no matter how much Ed kept saying she was just in denial – if she were, he would know because…because…well, just _because_, Drakken thought angrily. "Besides, she's _my_ sidekick," he added "she works for _me_."

Motor Ed clicked his tongue, shaking his head as if dealing with some dumb kid. "Drew, you ain't even a bad guy anymore – why should she stick around you? Seriously."

"Ja, he's one of ze _heroes_ now," Dementor said mockingly before trying once again to reach for the can of sauerkraut Motor Ed was holding in his hand as he kept gesturing at his dumb cousin – couldn't that idiot just put it down? And did he have to be so annoyingly _tall_? "Hand over zat can at once!" he yelled, but Motor Ed didn't pay any attention to him.

"I _am_ a bad guy! I am the most baddest--"

Dementor scoffed. "Most baddest?"

Drakken gritted his teeth, ignoring his rival's provocation. "…I am _still_ a bad guy, and Shego is _still_ working for me! She…likes her job," he finished weakly.

"Yeah, that's the point – she doesn't do her job and live dangerously anymore, seriously."

Drakken hesitated. Well, it _was_ true that she hadn't exactly been doing her actual job lately – he wasn't even sure he would get back to evil at all, really, now that the world respected him. Then again, maybe Shego would have wanted to go on with villainy, and his cousin still was in it, and…Drakken grimaced, angrily shaking his head. "This doesn't mean she's getting with _you_."

"Dude, sure she is," Motor Ed said confidently, confidently waving his hand – the one still holding the can of sauerkraut, much to Dementor's annoyance "she just need to snap out of her denial, serios--"

"She _isn't_!" Drakken shouted as he jumped on his feet, causing Motor Ed to trail off and Dementor to blink, the sauerkraut forgotten "she doesn't even _like_ you! She blasts you all the time!"

Motor Ed chuckled and winked knowingly. "Yeah, gotta love that green magic. I love chicks who play hard to get, seriously," he said, causing his cousin to grit his teeth.

"She isn't playing hard to get, she cannot _stand_ you! She thinks you're annoying and…and…and she thinks your mullet is _stupid_," he said lamely, not really knowing what else he could say – his cousin was _annoying_, that was it: what else was it there to be said? "And anyway, she isn't getting with you in a _billion years_! She's still going to work for _me_, okay? She isn't going anywhere, and…uh…" he blinked as he realized neither Motor Ed and Dementor were looking at him anymore: actually, they were apparently staring at something _behind_ him. "…there is someone behind me, right?"

Both of them nodded.

"Tell me it's not who I think. Tell me it's a Lowardian who's here to seize my head or something."

"Vell, it _is_ green," Dementor said, apparently unsure if he should be amused by the whole thing or just pity his rival for once. He surely didn't want to be in his shoes – it would be _awkward_.

"Oh, snap," Drakken said weakly as he turned to the door to face a rather dumbfounded Shego.

"Uh…" she muttered, her still standing in the doorway "maybe I got here in the wrong moment?" she asked, feeling rather awkward for the first time since…since…dang, she couldn't even remember when it was last time she ever felt awkward. And why should she anyway? Dr. D was pointing out the obvious – she definitely wasn't getting with Motor Ed in a billion years. Then again, it made her feel kinda uncomfortable how…vehement he had been while saying it. What _was_ there to get so mad about anyway? She could handle that idiot after all, so it wasn't like she needed him to speak up for her.

"Yeah. I mean, no! We were just…talking about…" Drakken turned to look at Motor Ed – who, on the other hand, was staring at him as if he was looking at him for the first time "…about sauerkraut," he finally said, looking at the can still in his cousin's hand.

"Ja, about zat…" Dementor said to no one in particular, finally reaching up to snatch the can from Motor Ed's numb fingers "_finally_!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Shego ignored him and raised an eyebrow at Drakken's blatant lie. "You were screaming about sauerkraut?"

"Uh…yeah?"

Shego's eyebrow went even higher.

"I mean, that and some other stuff, but nothing important," Drakken mumbled, sounding much like a kid trying to make up an excuse for breaking a vase. "We're always yelling anyway, right? About all kinds of stuff. About all kinds of _irrelevant_ stuff."

Shego nodded, but it was clear she didn't believe a word of what he said. "Yeah," she said flatly "so, uh…"

"Eh…"

There was a brief silence, only broken by Dementor chewing sauerkraut while observing the scene with an amused smirk. Motor Ed was still staring at his cousin as if he was a perfect stranger he had found in his living room. Drakken wiggled his hands. Shego cleared her throat. And then…

BLOOP.

"Aw, not _again_!" Drakken whined, frantically ripping away the bright pink petals that had just popped out of his neck – why was that still happening? He had learned to control it…well, kinda. It got more difficult to control when he was uneasy, and that _was_ an uneasy moment.

"Vell, you make a pretty daisy," Dementor said with a grin through the mouthful of sauerkraut – now _that_ was a scene he would never let his rival forget about.

"Shut up!" Drakken snapped, his face turning into a peculiar shade of purplish red.

"Yeah, you do," Shego mocked him, finally getting a grip on herself and reaching to tear a petal that Drakken hadn't torn yet. She waved it in front of his eyes. "You know, you'd look great on DNAmy's lawn. More than monkey boy's statue would," she added. Well, teasing him definitely felt more familiar and oddly reassuring at that point. Besides, it _was_ fun.

He rolled his eyes. "Geez, _thanks_," he muttered, folding his arms with a scowl.

"Anytime," Shego said with a smirk before letting the petal fall on the floor and turning to leave "and check if the idiot is still in the land of the living," she added before the door closed behind her.

"Uh?" Both Drakken and Dementor turned Motor Ed, who was still staring blankly at his cousin. "Ed?" Drakken called out, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

Ed blinked a few times before looking at his cousin again, a huge grin spreading on his face and causing Drakken to squirm uncomfortably. "Seriously, dude, you should have totally _told_ me!" he exclaimed.

Drakken blinked. "Told you _what_?"

"Don't play dumb, since when do you have a thing for Green?" he asked, still grinning as he poked his chest.

"Wha…?" he sputtered "I don't have a _thing_ for Shego! She's just my--"

"I mean, seriously, I would have totally stepped back waaaay back if you told me! Seriously!"

"But I don't--"

"You know, it was about time! It took you a while to get into chicks, seriously. I was totally expecting you to come out from the closet at some point…!"

"You..._what_?"

"Come out from ze closet?" Dementor repeated with a slightly confused frown – it was clear that idiom wasn't familiar to him – _thankfully_, Drakken thought before turning his attention back to Motor Ed.

"Look, you got the wrong idea – there is _nothing_ going on between me and Shego!"

"Yeah, _right. _Denial ain't just a river – now, lemme give you some advice, seriously…"

Dementor snickered as the discussion went on, leaning against the chair. It was even better than TV, he mused. Too bad there wasn't any popcorn, but no matter – the sauerkraut would do.

* * *

"Wow, Ron, you're _really_ doing great," Kim said, sounding rather impressed – not that she didn't think Ron could control the battlesuit, really, but still she hadn't expected him to get that good in so little time. It was clear he had really been focusing for once, and the efforts were paying up.

Ron smiled a little sheepishly as he finally took a break, glancing at the destroyed robot that was disappearing under the floor. "Well, you haven't seen how I messed up earlier – I activated the jetpack instead of the shield. Straight against the wall."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, ouch," he said with a goofy grin, pointing at a bruise on his forehead – man, that wall was _hard_.

Kim shrugged. "Hey, you're still doing great."

Ron nodded. "Yeah – those aliens better watch out for the Ronster," he said, trying to sound enthusiast, but the fact he was learning how to use the battlesuit quickly and without even messing up too make him feel nearly as proud as he would have felt before finding out he could do _so_ much more than that. He uneasily glanced away from Kim, wondering if she had any idea of how close to death she had been after being knocked out cold during their fight against Warhok. Probably not, he mused – and she didn't know he hadn't been able to help her. If it hadn't been for Drakken and his Flower Power…

Ron repressed a shudder at the thought, his expression hardening just for a moment. That was it – no matter what, he was going to ask Monkey Fist to teach him using those blasted monkey powers. He didn't care about anything Sensei had told him abut fulfilling his destiny and stuff – all he wanted was to be able to _protect_ Kim should she ever need him again. I wasn't much to ask, was it?

Well, considering it was Monkey Fist the one he would have to ask to, maybe it _was_ too much – but he still had Hana on his side, Ron thought. He probably wouldn't do anything rash if reminded he could be turned into stone again any moment. At least, Ron _hoped_ he wouldn't. He kinda enjoyed being alive.

"Ron? Are you okay?"

"Uh?"

"You kinda zoned out for a moment."

"Er…I was wondering if there is a naco or something left in the pantry," Ron quickly lied "I'm getting hungry again. I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

"Uh…okay," Kim said, blinked as he quickly left the training room, a slight frown in her face "hey, Wade, is it just me or he's behaving oddly lately?"

The boy, who was drinking some soda, immediately chocked on his drink. Kim raised an eyebrow. "Wade?"

"I…uh…" Wade coughed again "I didn't notice anything. Really," he said, a little too quickly to be believable. From the control panel he was sitting onto, Rufus groaned and smacked his forehead.

"_Wade."_

The boy bit his lower lip. Alright, he had promised Ron he would keep the secret, but still…well, it _was_ important. Besides, it was _Kim_ – he could tell her, right? "Well, really--" he began, but he trailed off as the door of the training room buzzed open and a GJ agent stepped inside – a very familiar one.

"Kim Possible," agent Will Du greeted her "it's a pleasure to meet you again, despite the circumstances," he said, and it wasn't difficult to detect a certain amount of arrogance in his voice under the politeness. It looked like he still thought of her as an inferior amateur, Kim thought with an inward grimace. He probably thought the fact GJ had asked for her assistance outraging…and man, she could only picture what could he think about the _villains_ that had been recruited as well!

"Will," she greeted him, sounding just a little colder than usual "it's been a while. I was starting to wonder if you quit GJ," she taunted with a small smirk.

"I _never_ quit," Will said briefly "I was simply busy in another area – a mission you don't need to know about," he said smugly, and Kim rolled her eyes "anyway, Dr. Director requires you, Wade Load and…?"

"Ron Stoppable," Kim helped him. Wade, on the other hand, gave a silent sigh of relief – Will Du's timing couldn't be better, he thought. He didn't know how long Kim would _stay_ distracted, but it was something.

"Oh, right – thank you. She requires you to join her in the control room."

"New about the Lowardians?" Kim asked almost eagerly.

"Not yet. We're contacting your families in the protected locations they've been sent to: Dr. Director said you might want to speak with them, given the circumstances of your…recruitment."

"Oh," Kim blinked, honestly surprised but not at all displeased by the news "we'll get going immediately – but we better go looking for Ron first. He got out a moment ago."

"We'll send someone to tell him – the sooner you finish the transmission, the sooner we can start working on creating force field around the protected areas. It won't be possible to communicate with them without deactivating the shields after that."

"Alright, we're coming," Kim said with a brief nod, eager to hear from her parents and brothers again "just make sure Ron gets to speak with his parents too – he said he was going to the pantry."

Will Du nodded and muttered something perfectly audible about having to work as a messenger for amateurs under his breath as he left the training room, heading for the pantry. But Ron wasn't at the pantry – he wasn't _anywhere_ near the pantry, really. In that same moment, he was actually using all the courage he could muster to walk towards the area of the lair in which the training room Senior had put at Monkey Fist's disposal was.

* * *

"Report," Warhok said sharply, glancing at the screen.

"Everything is proceeding as expected, General Warhok. We're keeping up with the schedule perfectly, and the technical problems with one of the ships have been resolved already."

"What was the cause?"

"One of the new recruits accidentally hit the off switch."

"Ah," Warhok shrugged just a little sheepishly as Warmonga groaned beside him.

"That's why I insisted for you to remove it. It only caused us trouble: we'd control Earth if it wasn't for it."

"General Warhok?" the colonel's voice came from the screen again "what should I do with him?"

"Send that fool to work on the fourth deck – that will teach him to pay attention to what he does."

"Yes, sir – for Lowardia!"

"For Lowardia," Warhok replied as the communication was interrupted. "You shouldn't question me when out men can hear," he said sternly, glancing sideways at Warmonga "you shouldn't question me _at all_. I'm your superior, and I won't accept being questioned again. Consider it your last warning, Warmonga."

"I'll keep it in mind," Warmonga said flatly, faintly wondering if he did realize that had been the eleventh 'last warning' he gave her since the day of their departure. There was a brief silence.

"And, Warmonga?"

"General?"

"Remind me to eliminate that blasted switch when we get back."

* * *

Monkey Fist was still feeling restless as the door of the training room shut behind him – how could he not? In barely a few hours, he had realized he was going to have to choose between the power he had always wanted and a power that could turn him into something akin to a god, giving him _immortality_.

It would seem an easy choice to anyone who didn't know how hard he had worked to have Mystical Monkey Power, how strongly he believed he was destined to be the Monkey Master. The mere thought he could have to give up on his destiny and the title that was mean to him caused something in his mind to revolt, but…

_Immortality, and a power as strong as Mystical Monkey Power. Who could ever stop you? Who could--?"_

"Er…hey there, dude," an annoying, infuriatingly familiar voice, snapped him from his thoughts, causing him to growl – Stoppable. Exactly the last person he wanted to meet.

Monkey Fist snarled. "What do you want, Stoppable?" he asked, glaring daggers at him, the only thing preventing him from attacking being the knowledge he couldn't risk having the Han against him again.

Ron cringed just a little, but much to the monkey man's surprise he didn't turn to run away – he kept his eyes fixed on his, a determinated look on his face that Monkey Fist could only recall seeing a few times. "Okay, look, you don' t like me and I don't like you," Ron said, holding up his hands "and hey, I'd be happier to put my head in a guillotine than doing this, but...well, we kinda need to talk. Now."


	11. Last call home

_A/N: okay, this one took a while. Sorry about that, but after exam left me with pretty much no spare time I had to take a vacation, so it took me a while to finish this chapter. I hope I'll be able to update again before September, but I can't promise anything – one wouldn't believe how busy one can be while in vacation _XD

* * *

Oh, wonderful – as if he wasn't having a rough time already, Monkey Fist thought, still glaring daggers at the boy. Stoppable had always had a terrible timing, and this time was no different. "As you should know, Stoppable, I have very little patience," he said, narrowing his eyes "even less when it's _you_ I have to deal with. You better hope whatever you have to tell me is going to be worth the annoyance of your presence."

Ron swallowed. Alright, this hadn't started out the most promising way. "Well…" he hesitated "okay, how much time do I have to come up with a speech that doesn't make you mad right away?"

Monkey Fist's eyes narrowed. "Since I don't think it could be possible for you to ever breathe one single word without getting on my nerves, it would be futile even trying. However, it could be a good idea trying to be quick. The less I have to endure your presence, the better is it for _both_ of us."

"Er…" Ron scratched his head "…I'm afraid that could be a problem. Because you know, we might have to spend a lot of time around each other if you accept."

Monkey Fist didn't know what he was talking about, but he was sure he wouldn't like it. "If I accept_ what_?"

The boy wriggled his hands. "C'mon, dude, I'm trying to break the news without making you mad here! Do you _have_ to be so intimidating all the time?"

"Yes. Now would you mind letting me know what exactly do you want from me? As you might have noticed, I have more important things to concern myself with rather than your senseless ramblings – what kind of…news are you talking about?"

Ron shifted a little. "Well, I actually had a little speech ready since it's kind of a touchy subject for you…then again, I think I forgot most of the speech in the last twenty seconds. Maybe, if you give me a moment…"

Monkey Fist could feel an awful headache building in his skull. "Stoppable, if you don't tell me what in the world do you want from me now--"

"Alright, alright!" Ron nearly yelped, raising his hands "but you have to promise you won't go nuts and try to kill me or something."

The monkey man growled, taking a step forward – he was in a foul mood already, and that blasted boy was making it even worse "I promise I _will_ tear you apart limb by limb if you don't quit trying my nerves and--"

"I need to you show me how to use that mystical monkey stuff," Ron muttered quickly before shutting his eyes and raising his arms, waiting for his arch-foe to explode. He waited. And waited. And waited a few more moments, but nothing broke the sudden silence. "Uh?" he finally muttered, opening one eye to take a peek, and he was surprised to see Monkey Fist staring at him, his mouth still open as if to speak, making no sound. He simply _stared_. "Er…dude? Are you okay?" Ron asked, lowering his arms.

Monkey Fist showed no sign of hearing him for a few more moments, as if frozen on the spot. He closed his mouth and blinked. He stared a few more moments before opening his mouth again. And then he had the reaction Ron had been expecting from him – only even worse.

"How _dare_ you!" he nearly howled in fury, causing Ron to wince and quickly back away.

"Hey, wait, I warned you that you wouldn't have liked--"

"You really have some _nerve_ to ask me a such thing," Monkey Fist snarled as he stepped forward, making Ron swallow uncomfortably as his back pressed against the wall "me, teaching you how to use the very same power you _stole_ from me?"

"I had to! You would have killed me!" Ron protested.

"Oh, I wish I succeeded," Monkey Fist snarled "speaking of which, can you give me a valid reason why I _shouldn't_ do so right now?"

"Uh…they would put Hana against you to turn you back into stone statue?" the boy guessed.

The monkey man seemed quite disappointed. "Of course – how brave of you, hiding behind your weapon…" he said somewhat sourly as he was reminded of how those fools were keeping him in check.

"I'm not hiding behind a _weapon_, I'm hiding behind my baby…uh…" Ron gave a sheepish grin as he realized it didn't make him look any better put that way "alright, for this time I'll go for the 'weapon' thing."

"Good choice," Monkey Fist muttered. He preferred to think of the one who had defeated him as a mystical weapon rather than a _child_.

"So, uh…what about…?"

Monkey Fist gritted his teeth. "You must be insane if you really think I'm ever going to help you controlling a power that rightfully belongs to me and me _alone_," he said, purposely ignoring the fact he was probably going to have to give up on it anyway and walking past him "and in any case I doubt it would be enough for you to control it. You have no chance to ever learn how to unleash--"

"What about the blue glow?"

Monkey Fist abruptly stopped in his tracks, and Ron knew he had hit a nerve. The monkey man stayed still for a few moments before turning to stare at him, his eyes narrowed, causing Ron to swallow – he somehow managed to look scarier now than he was while screaming. Monkey Fist said nothing for a few more moments, just observing the boy standing in front of him. There was a part of him that stubbornly wanted to cling to the thought that he could be lying, still…

_He's lying. He has to be lying. He can't know about that._

_Then why would he mention it? Why would he mention the blue glow the ancient texts mention, the blue glow that is supposed to surround the Monkey Master as a manifestation of ultimate power?_

_He could have read the ancient texts as well. He could…_

_The buffoon, reading the ancient texts? Don't make me laugh._

_He could have made it up._

_If so, it would be quite a lucky guess. No, this is more than just a guess._

"Blue glow?" he asked slowly, his voice flat.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, there was this…blue glowing thing at some point while I was training, and before I knew it I had destroyed a robot and made a hole in the ground," he said quickly – he better say anything while he could. He was about to add what Sensei had said about him being the Monkey Master and all that stuff, but he decided against it – he doubted the monkey man more would take it well, and it was better to not anger him too much. "Anyway, now I try and try, but I can't do that again and…uh…are you listening?"

_No, it can't be. He can't have unleashed a such power – he must be lying!_

_What if he wasn't? What if he really did? You never managed to accomplish a such thing…_

_This is beside the point – he can't be the Monkey Master! I refuse to believe it!_

_Still, he somehow managed to achieve more with Mystical Monkey Power than you ever did._

Monkey Fist scowled at the thought, then he took a deep breath – no, it meant nothing: the boy had probably just been lucky, that was all. He couldn't even use the power again, he had said so himself! Still, he mused, observing him closely could help him using Mystical Monkey Power at its full potential as well. The boy had probably managed to hit some kind of inner switch to trigger the power that still eluded him.

_And what about the Power of Yono? What about immortality?_

_I'll think about it later – now I need to find out what exactly happened to Stoppable._

_If you're going to give up on Mystical Monkey Power, it would only be a loss of time._

_I never said I would give up on it! I can't make that choice yet!_

_But immortality is tempting you, isn't it?_

"Uh, dude?"

The monkey man blinked before glancing at the boy again. "Stoppable," he said slowly "I want you to tell me exactly what happened, without forgetting one single detail."

Ron hesitated. "If I tell you, are you going to help me out?"

Monkey Fist gritted his teeth. He could feel his stomach turning at the mere idea of having to show that insufferable buffoon how to use Mystical Monkey Power, but it seemed the only way he had to understand if he had actually triggered the power, and how. "Maybe," he growled "now I demand you to tell me--"

"Ron Stoppable," a collected voice cut him off "I must ask you to follow me to the main room."

Monkey Fist blinked as he turned to face a young, black haired man wearing a GJ uniform he had never seen before…but apparently, Stoppable he did. "Hey there, Will!" the boy waved "It's been a while, uh? I was starting to wonder why you weren't there!"

Will Du didn't seem to share his enthusiasm, for he simply nodded. "Yes, it's been some time – I've been mostly working undercover for the past few years. Not an amateur's work," he said with a proud smirk "now, if you don't mind following me to the main room…"

"He's going to follow you _after_ I'm done talking with him," Monkey Fist said coldly, causing Will to frown as he glanced at him for the first time "now, if _you_ don't mind…"

"I'm afraid I _do_ mind – Dr. Director requires his presence in the main room immediately," Will replied icily, glaring at the monkey man "but if you want to discuss her orders, you might want to tell her yourself," he added, and Monkey Fist realized that impertinent fool knew perfectly that they could keep him on a tight leash as long as they had the Han. He had no doubt that the head of Global Justice wouldn't hesitate to have him turned back into a stone statue should he give them any reason to think he could work against them.

He growled. "Fine," he said, turning back to glare at Ron "we'll resume out little chat later, won't we?"

Ron nodded. "Sure," he said, his voice firm as he stepped past him to join Will "see you after the reunion."

Monkey Fist stood still, his eyes never leaving the boy until he turned the corner, saying nothing.

* * *

Hana frowned in concentration, her eyes fixed on the item in front of her – such a focused expression was nearly comical on a child's face, Senior mused before Hana finally spoke. "…puter?" she said hesitantly.

Senior nodded. "Close enough – I suppose 'computer' is a fairly complicated word for a young child such as yourself," he said with a chuckle, and Hana immediately giggled as well

She would try to repeat whatever he told her to say even when she wouldn't get a candy in return – Senior had enough sense to know that it wouldn't be wise to give too many candies to such a young child. He couldn't help but feel somewhat proud of the fact the little girl would only repeat new words when he was the one teaching her.

"I'm sure your parents will be delighted to see you again," he said, and Hana seemed just as delighted at the thought, for she laughed and waver her arms. The old man felt a pang of melancholy as he thought of his son's less than enthusiastic reaction when he had contacted him in that lair he was hiding into with that Bonnie Rockwaller. The thought was enough to make him grimace, causing Hana to blink at his sudden change of expression. He probably should really ask Kim Possible for some…information on that Rockwaller girl: it would probably be indiscrete, but he would rather be safe than sorry. Not that he thought he could actually keep Junior from dating that girl if his worst suspicions turned out to be right, still…

"Nose!"

Senior was snapped from his thoughts as he felt something grabbing his nose. He chuckled, glancing down at the smiling child. "Yes, it appears I do have a nose after all," he said, clearly amused "and, unless my old eyes deceive me, you do have one as well – right here," he said, lightly tapping her nose with a finger. Hana laughed – just like Junior did when he did the same kind of things to him as a child, Senior mused. Dear Lord, how so many years had passed already…?

"Seems like you two developed quite a bond," Dr. Director commented, getting Hana's attention just for a moment before she turned back to Senior's hand, apparently eager to check if he had five fingers as well.

The old man nodded. "What can I say? There isn't much else I could do right now, and children have always been close to my heart."

"I noticed," was Dr. Director's reply while she kept reading some report. She had to admit that scene never failed to amuse her – it was honestly hard to believe that man could be a criminal by looking at him right now: he looked more like a simple grandfather with his grandchild. Actually, she mused, being surrounded by villains all the time was starting to feel scarily normal…and she wasn't sure she liked it how she was starting to view them as _people_ rather than just as criminals. It was a trap she couldn't let herself fall into.

"Do you happen to have children, Dr. Director?"

She shook her head. "No. My work takes me most of my time – it's not the kind of lifestyle I would suggest to anyone who wishes to have a family and isn't made of iron."

"I see," Senior hesitated for a moment – he was honestly unable to think of what his life would be like without his son…but he had the scary sensation he was going to find out sooner than he wished. "Do you have regrets?" he asked suddenly.

Dr. Director gave him a quizzical look. "Excuse me?" she asked, but from the coldness in her voice it was clear she had heard him. Maybe he had gone too far: after all, there was no reason why she should talk about such personal issues to a criminal of all people.

"My apologies," Senior said quietly "it probably was indiscreet of my asking."

"Probably," she replied somewhat stiffly, glancing down at the papers again, but she answered anyway "but no, I have no regrets. I'm proud of what I do."

"I understand," the old man said before Hana claimed his attention again.

"Dog!" she exclaimed, pointing at the small creature that was walking across the room, sniffing the floor – DNAmy's dog-lobster hybrid. The animal glanced up at the child waving its tail and gave a friendly yelp.

"Well…not quite," Senior said "but for a lack of a better term, I suppose it should do."

"I guess we should hope it doesn't come across my brother's rat," Dr. Director said coldly "I'm not up for another of his nerve attacks," she added, not quite knowing of she was referring to the dog or to Gemini.

"Brother!" Hana immediately repeated the only familiar word she heard, and Dr. Director's face twisted into something that Senior couldn't quite define – maybe a scowl or a barely suppressed smile, or both.

She glanced at the baby. "You know, considering that Team Possible claims she's some kind of…weapon, it goes against my best judgement to leave her under your care. I should probably have had some of my agents to look after her while Stoppable can't do so," she stated, turning to Senior.

"But you haven't."

"Only because I don't think you would actually use her as a weapon, and she clearly grew fond on you. But I want to make it clear that if you give me any reason to suspect--"

Senior seemed outraged by the thought. "I never would!"

Dr. Director nodded. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear," she said "just one thing – I have to ask you to never leave her alone with my brother again. Gemini is a dangerous and twisted individual with no regards for anyone: it isn't safe to leave her with him."

"If you're referring to his…attempts to lure her to evil, I have to say they're quite harmless," Senior said "and, quite honestly, I don't think he actually _wants_ to corrupt her. Not as much as he tries to make it seem."

She didn't seem convinced. "Oh, really?"

"Well, unless his idea of corruption actually consists in trying to teach her words such as 'evil' and 'world domination' in exchange of sweets, I'm more inclined to believe his attempts are mostly aimed to annoy you. Especially since he always ends up giving Hana the sweets anyway when he thinks no one is looking."

Dr. Director seemed both surprised and amused just for a moment, then she regained her composure. "You don't know him – he must be simply trying to gain her trust."

"Or maybe he simply isn't quite as heartless as you _both_ think he is," Senior suggested, gaining himself a rather unfriendly glare from Dr. Director. Before she could retort, however, the door buzzed open to let Kim and Wade in.

"Did you want to see us, Dr. Director?"

"Yes," she nodded "as you might know, we are getting ready to create…where is Ron Stoppable?"

"No idea – agent Du is looking for him," Kim said, faintly wondering why was it taking them so much – Ron had gone to the pantry only a few moments before Will Du arrived after all. "He's probably trying to drag him away from the pantry right now."

"I understand. As I was saying, we are getting ready to create force fields to shield civilians from the attacks – after we do, there won't be any way to communicate with them unless we deactivate the shields. I thought you would like to speak with your families before we activate the force fields, considering the circumstances of your recruitment."

Kim nodded. "That would be great," she said, clearly eager to see her family again.

Dr. Director nodded, typing something on a keyboard, and a screen switched on to reveal a GJ agent. "Get us in contact with…" she paused "who would like to go first?"

Wade turned to Kim. "You and Ron go first – I did get to say goodbye to my parents before I left," he said, and Kim smiled.

"Thanks, Wade."

"Get us in contact with the Possibles, the Stoppables and the Loads – possibly in this order," Dr. Director ordered, and the agent nodded, disappearing from the screen "it might take a few minutes."

"It's okay, it's not like anyone is running after me," Kim said "and, uh…thanks."

"It's the least I could do," was the reply "I hope agent Du manages to find Stoppable soon – I can't delay the activation of the force field for much longer."

"You won't have to, Dr. Director."

Kim turned to see both Will Du and Ron stepping inside. Hana immediately began to wave and squirm as she saw him. "Brother!"

"Yeah, here comes the big brother," he said with a wide grin, taking her form Senior's knees – the old man seemed both amused and saddened, Kim noticed. "Hey, Kim, what is this about? He wouldn't tell me anything!" Ron complained, turning to glance at Will with a frown, still holding Hana.

Kim frowned. "Why not?"

Will just smirked. "I'd like to say it was because I wasn't supposed to share information with you, but the truth is that I find it quite amusing watching you squirm."

"Hey!" Ron protested.

"Thank you, agent Du – you're dismissed," Dr. Director was saying "would you mind taking that…thing to its owner before it ends up meeting Gemini's dog? It would spare all of us some trouble and a headache."

Will just nodded and took the dogster, and Kim couldn't help but smirk a little at his less than enthusiastic expression as he left, keeping DNAmy's pet at arms length.

"We're getting in contact with your families before communicating with them becomes impossible," Dr. Director said, getting up from her seat "you might want to be left alone for a while – you have five minutes each before the communications are interrupted," she added. She turned to Senior to gesture him to leave the room as well, but the old man was already getting up to leave Team Possible some privacy. Hana waved at him as he left the room, causing him to chuckle and wave back before the door closed.

"You would say she thinks he's her grandfather or something," Ron said with a baffled expression.

Kim seemed amused. "Well, maybe she does – he's been spending a lot of time with her lately. Had it been anyone else in here, I'd be worried."

Ron frowned as he realized how true it was – Hana had been spending a lot of time with Senior since they were there…more than she spent with _him_, he thought. Not that he wanted to neglect her or something, but he did have a lot of stuff in his mind, and a lot of stuff to do, and…and…what was it that Sensei had told him? Oh, right – he had to claim his place as the Monkey Master, or something like that. It was a busy time. The again, he frowned a little as he remembered something else Sensei had told him.

_The Han is by your side – as long as your love for her is unyielding, the Yono is hardly a threat to you and your loved ones_

Ron bit his lower lip. What if he stopped caring for her enough? No, he wouldn't. Just because he spent less time with her it didn't mean he didn't want to, so…so everything would be fine, right? She would understand…right?

"Hey, Ron, what took you so long?" Wade asked, causing him to blink.

"Uh? Er…I got lost on my way to the pantry," he lied with a somewhat goofy grin that made Hana giggle. He didn't want anyone to find out he had been talking to Monkey Fist about that monkey magic stuff. Not until he finally knew if the monkey man could actually help him out or not.

_He will have to. I'll make him if necessary – I don't care about being the Monkey Master or whatnot, but won't take the risk of losing Kim or anyone again._

Kim sighed and shook her head. "And here I thought you could get there with your eyes closed by now," she said with a smile, and she was about to add something else when a voice coming from the screen suddenly interrupted her.

"Kimmie-cub?"

Kim immediately turned to the screen while Ron and Wade took a few steps back. "Hi, dad. How are things going over there? Where _are_ you?"

"We have no idea, but we're fine," Mr. Dr. Possible reassured her "I don't know exactly were Nana, Slim and Joss are, but we spoke to them – they're fine too. Your mother is getting here in a minute; she had to get the Tweebs out of trouble. They got into one of the control rooms to take some chips and tried to build…"

Kim held up her hand. "I'm not sure I want to know more," she said, but she was smiling.

Her father chuckled. "Well, if anything there's no risk of getting bored," he said, then he noticed his daughter wasn't alone in the room "hi, Ron. Hello, Wade."

"Hello, Mr. Dr. Possible."

Mr. Dr. Possible frowned just a little before turning back to Kim. "You _do_ have separate rooms, don't you?" he said, glancing sideways at Ron. It was clear he wasn't going to like any answer that wasn't 'absolutely not'. Ron didn't usually feel uneasy upon having other people's eyes fixed on him, but this time he could have sworn his cheeks were in fire. He could hear Wade coughing right next to him to hide a laugh.

"Dad!" Kim protested, a little flushed as well "of course not, we all have separate rooms!"

"Oh, that's fine then," he said, sounding much more relaxed "so, how are you--" he trailed off as someone suddenly pushed him aside, almost making him stumble on the ground, and Kim had to chuckle as she saw the Tweebs on the screen.

"KIM!"

"No pushing your father, boys," Mrs. Dr. Possible chided them mildly, but she immediately turned her attention to her daughter "hi, Kim," she said, as if she just saw her after she went shopping for a few hours.

"Hi, mom. Hello, Tweebs – just what are you doing over there?"

"Just breaking the monotony," Jim said with a shrug.

"Yeah, it's boring over here," Tim added.

"It would be funnier if you were here."

"Or if we could get there – we could help!"

"I don't think it's the case, boys," Mrs. Dr. Possible said.

"But Ron's sister is there!" Tim protested.

"And she's _younger_ than we are!" Jim pointed out.

Mrs. Dr. Possible said, however, ignored their protests. "How are you, Kim?"

"I'm fine," Kim said "things are a little…chaotic over here, but people here are doing a better work than I expected. The Lowardians are going to bite the dust," she said, trying to sound as optimistic as she could. Ron just wished he could be as optimistic.

"I understand," her mother nodded with a smile "show them they're messing up with the wrong planet, ok?"

Mr. Dr. Possible waved his hand. "Of course she will – she's a Possible, and--"

"Everything's possible for a Possible," Kim and the Tweebs finished in perfect unison. They all laughed. "Sure," Kim finally said, and she was to add something else as an impersonal voice suddenly filled the room.

"Interrupting the communication in thirty seconds."

"I have to go now," Kim said, trying to ignore a sudden and uncharacteristic lump in her throat as she looked at her parents and brothers again "I…uh…"

"We miss you."

Kim had to blink for a moment. She could have expected her parents to actually state they missed her…but the Tweebs? Now _that_ was a surprise. A pleasant and oddly awkward one. "I miss you too," she said softly "but it will be over soon – see you after we kick some alien butt, alright?"

"Sure – show them," was all her father had time to say before the communication was interrupted and the screen went blank for a few more moments. She sighed and took a few steps back, looking a little thoughtful. Ron opened his mouth to speak, to reassure her if she needed him to, but before he could the same impersonal voice spoke.

"Contacting the Stoppables. Next communication starting in three…two…one…"

He shot a quick glance to Kim and an encouraging smile that she returned, then he held his little sister closer to him and glanced up at the screen just as two very familiar faces appeared on it, causing Hana – who had been oddly quiet in the past few minutes – to start waving and blabbering happily, reaching for them.

"Hi, mom. Hi, dad," he said, his grip on Hana tightening just a little as he spoke to his parents, Sensei's words echoing somewhere in his mind.

_Claim your place as the Monkey Master and protect your loved ones._

_

* * *

  
_

Being surrounded by people wearing GJ uniforms all the time surely wasn't helping his poor little Pepe's nerves, Gemini mused as he petted his head, trying to make him relax a little. "Here, here – daddy won't let those idiots in uniform get any closer to you," he cooed, scratching his ears, and Pepe yelped in appreciation before nuzzling under his chin.

The chihuahua's nervous trembling subsided slightly, and Gemini's bitter expression brightened just a little…only to get even worse as he glanced at his desk. He still didn't know if GJ had activated the shields already – he wouldn't have asked his sister before, let alone _now_ – but if they hadn't been activated yet all he would have to do to contact his mother was pressing one button. His prosthetic hand lingered over said button for a few moments, but he didn't press it.

_If she only knew the truth rather than your lies, she would only think of you as the disgrace you truly are._

Gemini hesitated. He knew it could be the last chance he got to speak to her until the end of the war and possibly the last chance to _ever_ speak with her if they lost…but he also knew that she would probably end up asking him about his sister, and he wasn't sure he would be able to keep his self-control if she began talking about her. He was afraid their mother could end up guessing something was wrong, and last thing he wanted was having her finding out the truth about him…not that way, and not now that it could be the last memory she had of him.

She wouldn't understand anyway, Gemini thought as he retreated his hand with a heavy sigh. He was considering the idea of calling that Frugal Lucre to have some fun at his expenses, but his musings were interrupted by a knock on the door – and it was Lucre, nonetheless. Was that guy telepathic or something? "This better be important," he barked, making the poor guy wince.

"I'm…uh…sorry sir, but I…" Frugal Lucre cleared his throat and tried to speak more like an actual man than like a nervous kid dealing with some playground bully "I thought of something," he finally said proudly.

Gemini raised an eyebrow – was the guy expecting him to start clapping or something? "Oh, really?" he asked, leaning back on his seat, his voice unusually suave. It was going to have fun, he thought, absentmindedly scratching Pepe's head. Too bad he didn't have ejection seats there.

Lucre nodded. "Yes, sir – I thought it could help us against the Lowardians, you see."

"But of course. Let me guess – are you going to try selling them the planted to a such low price that they will think it's not worth the effort?" he said sarcastically. But honestly, what else could that guy ever think of?

"Well, really I was thinking…"

"And you _shouldn't_!" Gemini suddenly shouted, making him wince "you're here to look after my dog, Lucre, not to _think_. If you really have to, I'm not the one you're going to have to bother – go telling your _brilliant_ ideas to some GJ idiot and don't bother me!"

"B…but…" the poor man was blabbering "I'm a bad guy! I don't want to deal directly with Glob--"

Pepe gave a warning whine, and Gemini's expression got even more annoyed.

"…I mean, with GJ," Frugal Lucre said quickly "and besides, I thought that since you know Jack Hench so well he could make us a good price if you were the one asking – the Hench Co. stuff is so expensive!"

Gemini – who had already raised his mechanical hand to fire a missile or two to that annoying idiot – blinked. "What does the Hench Co. have to do with it?"

"Well, I was going through some old copies of Villains Magazine – you know, the one--"

"I _know_ what magazine it is. Go on."

"Uh…right. Anyway, there was this article about some gadgets the Hench Co. produced a while back – you know, the Molecular Muscle Enhancers…?"

Gemini frowned in thought. "Do you mean those rings that instantly increase the muscle mass and strength of whoever is wearing them?"

"Yes. I thought that they could be useful – I mean, if one of the greatest advantages the Lowardians have over us is physical strength…"

"…then the Molecular Muscle Enhancers could nullify or at least reduce the difference," Gemini finished, tapping his chin with a mechanical finger "yes, it could work," he admitted, and he seemed almost surprised as he glanced at Frugal Lucre.

"Yeah. It was a good idea, wasn't it?" Frugal Lucre said somewhat hopefully, but his boss had already turned his attention back on his desk and switched on the screen.

"I want to speak with Jack Hench – immediately. No, I don't want to speak with some sales representative; I want to speak with him _now_. No, I don't _care_ about the reunion, I…" he paused and took a deep breath, trying to not explode "fine, interrupt the reunion and let him know that Sheldon Director wants to speak with him. He knows where to find me," he grumbled, leaning back on the seat. He despised using his actual name, but he knew it would make Hench leave the reunion and contact him immediately: he only used it when things really couldn't wait. "What are you doing still here?" Gemini growled, glaring at Lucre "get lost!"

"But…"

"I don't like having to repeat orders, Lucre," he said, raising his mechanical hand, and he couldn't hold back a smug grin as Frugal Lucre scrambled outside. In his arms, Pepe barked enthusiastically – he liked it when he terrified people. "Hoochie-coochie, Pepe, Pepe," Gemini cooed, scratching his dog's ears.

"Am I interrupting something?" Jack Hench's voice came from the screen, sounding mildly amused "I could always get back once you're done fussing over him."

Gemini scoffed. "How funny," he muttered, still petting his dog "what was the reunion about?"

"There was no reunion – now that most of the clients and business partners are into hiding from the invasion, I was in my Jacuzzi with a drink…which makes me hope you had a really good reason to insist for talking to me," Hench pointed out, but he didn't seem really bothered. He rarely _allowed_ himself to look bothered.

"Well, you did tell me to let you know should we need something else, didn't you?"

Jack Hench chuckled. "Fair enough," he said "although you have to admit you always have the worst timing. You would be a disaster as a businessman."

"There is a reason why that's _your_ job and not mine," Gemini reminded him with a grin before Pepe's impatient whining reminded him of the actual reason why he had called. "Hush, Pepe. Anyway, I called to ask about some gadget you produced a while back – do you remember the Molecular Muscle Enhancers…?"

* * *

"I'm stopping here, lass," Killigan said as another of those…dino-things sat on the ground with a mind control chip on its forehead "there is not room for more of them – we should get some of those GJ lads to bring them outside before ye create more of them."

DNAmy seemed slightly disappointed, but a quick glance to the bunch of huge creatures was enough to realize that he was right. She just hoped the huge elevator they had used to bring her DNA mixer there would be big and resistant enough to bring those beasties back to surface. "Aw, too bad," she said "it was fun."

"Och, ye have a weird idea of fun, ye know," Killigan said gruffly, absentmindedly swinging the golf club – he had to admit it _was_ quite fun watching those vicious beasts becoming as docile as lambs once he hit them with that mind-control stuff…and of course he hadn't missed once, he thought proudly.

"Don't play grumpy now, I know you were having fun too," she chirped, poking his shoulder. Killigan snorted, folding his arms and glancing away.

"It's just because it's the closest thing to playing golf I got to do since when I got here, that's all," he muttered, faintly wondering how much more damage could be made to his golf course during the upcoming invasion...and maybe this time his castle wouldn't be spared either. He grimaced at the thought.

"Aw, you must be missing it a lot," Amy said sympathetically – she knew she would be really feeling down if she couldn't do what she loved the most. "Have you been playing golf for much time, cutie pie?"

"Since when I was a wee laddie," Killigan replied, his expression brightening at the memory "my old man began teaching me as soon as I could walk, ye know – and by the time I was ten I could beat him already," he boasted "he wouldn't admit it, but ye can bet he _knew_ it! There was one time he got the ball in the bunker and he couldn't get out, and he was still there cursing and spitting out sand when I completed the course!"

"Seems like you had a lot of fun," she said, and he was surprised to see she seemed genuinely interested in what he was saying – there weren't many people who were interested in his ramblings "I never tried any sport, really. Besides, golf sounds very complicated to me – I couldn't tell one club from another!"

"Och, are ye really trying to tell me ye can mess with DNA with yer eyes closed and can't tell a wedge from a chipper?"

"Wedge? Chipper?" she frowned in confusion.

Killigan snickered. "Fine, ye really can't," he said, then he shrugged "but it isn't that difficult, lass, really. Of course, ye have to learn how to swing and to calculate the speed of wind and stuff like that, and that's the hard part. But I could teach ye if ye want me to," he said. Had anyone told him he would offer to teach her playing golf just a few days before he would have probably laughed, but what the heck – he was itching to do anything that had something to do with golf, and no one but that lass seemed interested.

Amy hesitated. "Oh, I don't know, Duffy, I never even _tried_…!"

Killigan chose to ignore the fact she had called him 'Duffy' again and handled her the golf club he had been holding. "There's always a first time, I guess – why don't ye try to swing it? Try to imagine ye have to hit one of those…dino-things like I did before and swing."

She giggled. "Alright, I'll try," she said, taking the golf club just a little uncertainly "…what now?"

"Well, yer stance is wrong – ye better stand like this, ye see. Keep the golf club this way…yer hands, lass, ye're keeping them too far…aye, this is it. Ye're ready to try swingin--"

"Like this?" Amy asked, swinging the golf club with some more strength than it was strictly necessary. With _much_ more strength than it was necessary, Duff Killigan would point out later…but even now what he thought of that swing was pretty clear from the way he cursed as the golf club hit his forehead, making stumble backwards.

"_What the…?"_

Amy immediately dropped the golf club and turned to worriedly glance at him. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, crouching next to him, and she gave a small, nervous giggle as she saw it was nothing serious. "Well, now I know why I never tried," she said apologetically "does it hurt, Duffy?"

"What do ye _think_?" Killigan barked, wincing as he touched a sore spot on his forehead – there would surely be a nasty bruise there in a minute.

"Aw, poor cutie," she cooed, giving him a hug "do you want a kiss to make it better?"

"…uh?" it took him a few moments for his brain to formulate a more articulate answer "no, of course not!" he protested, trying with very little success to break free from her grasp.

She just tightened her grip. "Oh, don't be such a big baby," she chided him before giving him a peck on his forehead, right on the bruised spot. "Better?"

Killigan opened his mouth to tell her that she better release him immediately and never try to hug him again unless she didn't want him to lose his temper once for all, but the words that eventually left his mouth were quite different. "…it still hurts a wee little bit."

Amy giggled. "Aw, it was really a bad blow, wasn't it?" she said, leaning forward to give his forehead another peck.

"Ahem…"

Killigan immediately scrambled back as he heard someone faking a cough. He quickly adjusted his tam on his head and turned to the door, hoping with all his might it wasn't Motor Ed. And indeed, it wasn't him – after all, Motor Ed would be more likely to start cheering in that situation rather than faking a cough. It was worse. A thousand times worse.

"I suppose this belongs to you," Will Du said as he lowered Lucy to the ground to let her walk to her owner.

"Oh, Lucy! Where did you go, you naughty girl!" Amy cooed, picking up the dog-lobster hybrid.

Will only gave her and her creature a somewhat disgusted glance before turning to Killigan. "Mr. Killigan – it's been a while, hasn't it? Although I must say I still remember out first encounter _very_ clearly…"

The golfer felt a sudden urge to grab a golf club and smash it on his face to not see that taunting, infuriating smirk. "Aye, I remember that too – how about the part that ended up with ye wedged into a carpet, lad?"

"Oh, yes – it was one embarrassing moment, wasn't it? Still, I think the part I recall better is you being turned into something resembling a rather overweight sheep," he cocked his eyebrow "or, better yet, the moment I gave you that electric shock…"

Killigan's face was quickly turning red with anger, but Amy spoke before he could retort. "Thanks for bringing my Lucy back, Mr…?"

Will Du gave her a short nod. "Agent Will Du – it was my pleasure," he said before smirking again at Killigan "I suppose I better leave you two alone," he said.

The golfer was fuming. "Ye little…!"

"Sure – have a good day!" Amy said cheerfully, waving at him, clearly unaware of the implications of what he had said "what a nice, boy, uh?"

"Aye, I bet he tastes nice with roasted potatoes," Killigan said sarcastically "so, uh…" he cleared his throat a little awkwardly "…what time is the reunion anyway?"

She glanced at the clock. "It's in about half an hour, cutie," she said, making him immensely grateful of the fact she hadn't called him like that while that annoying lad was in "oh, I wonder if Montykins will be there too!" she added cheerfully, giving the final blow to his once relatively good mood.

* * *

Monkey Fist had no idea of where he was going as he wandered aimlessly through the maze that was Senior's lair, nor he really cared – when your heads is spinning and all your thoughts seem to be going in circles without letting you actually think of anything clearly, focusing of trivial matters such as your whereabouts becomes rather difficult.

The fact he wasn't able to think straight only added to his frustration: he had a sharp mind that had always allowed him to think quickly and plan out his next step in very little time – but now, for the first time in _years_, he was at a total loss, and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

"The blue glow," Monkey Fist mumbled to himself, not minding the funny look a few WEE agents gave him as he walked past them. How could Stoppable possibly know about that glow? He couldn't, that was it. The glow was only mentioned in one ancient text he possessed, and he knew for a fact the buffoon simply couldn't have read it: the text was well hidden in his castle, and even if they found it, they wouldn't be able to translate it…not without an expert, and he doubted they could find one that quickly.

Then again, he strongly doubted that insufferable boy could have made it up – it would be an astonishing coincidence, and he didn't believe in coincidences…no matter how strongly he wanted to believe it _now_. The Mystical Monkey Power had somehow awakened in that boy, and for a brief instant he had been able to use it to its full potential, or almost. That thought was simply maddening – why _him_? He was supposed to be the only one to be able to use it, not that insufferable idiot! He was destined to be the Monkey Master!

_If you don't give up on the power before it happens. In that case, you'd only be the Yono. You can't be both._

Monkey Fist gritted his teeth. The mere idea of giving up on what he had worked so hard to achieve still disgusted him, but on the other hand…God, wasn't it tempting! He simply didn't know what he should do.

_Perhaps the fact the Stoppable managed to do more with Mystical Monkey Power than you ever did should give you a hint. Maybe you simply aren't meant to be the Monkey Master after all._

Monkey Fist stopped in his tracks, then he shook his head furiously. No, it couldn't be! He was meant to be the Monkey Master, and that was above any doubt: who else could be fit for that role? Stoppable? Ah! That was laughable to say the least!

_Still, he could use Mystical Monkey Power--_

_It was nothing but luck, that's it! _

_You can't ignore this possibility._

But he could ignore it, and he would. He refused, simply _refused_ to think for one single moment Ron Stoppable could actually be the Monkey Master. It was downright ridiculous! Then again…Monkey Fist paused, his simian hand rubbing his chin. While he certainly was not the Monkey Master, Stoppable had still managed to do something to unleash the power…and he had to find out how. And for now, the only way he had to find out was playing along, he decided. The fact Stoppable had asked to talk about his powers _after_ the reunion rather than _during_ it told him one thing – he didn't want anyone else to know about how he had managed to use the powers, nor he wanted them to know he was asking for his help. That would make things easier for him: he could try to get a hold of the secret of Mystical Monkey Power without being watched.

And once he could fully control Mystical Monkey Power…then he would be ready to choose between it and the Power of Yono, he decided, walking through a somewhat familiar door. That way, he would be sure--

"Ooooh, yeah!"

"No, no, no – you're doing it _wrong_! You gotta be bolder if you want to impress Green, seriously! Watch me…!"

Monkey Fist shut his eyes and counted to ten, but when he reopened them the scene in front of him hadn't changed: Drakken standing on a table, his hair loose, pretending to be playing an air guitar with Motor Ed. He blinked. "What in the world…?" he muttered, his voice an octave higher than usual.

From the chair he was comfortably sitting, Dementor shrugged. "Vell, seems like some lesson on hov to look stupid. Not zat Drakken _needs_ one, but it's fun to vatch," he said, holding out a can to the stunned monkey man as if it was a pop corn bucket "sauerkraut?"


	12. Start of the countdown

_A/N: and once again, I'm terribly late with the updates _:P_ Sorry about that: other than having little spare time, I also got stuck with a scene and it took me a while to get over it. It's kind of frustrating when you already have the scene in mind but just cannot write it the right way, so I'm glad I got it done at last. There is some stuff in this chapter that had to be dealt with sooner or later anyway, so I decided to do so now so I could finally focus more on Ron, Monkey Fist and MMP in the next one.  
_

_

* * *

  
_

"Seriously, dude, you should totally relax a little – how do you have fun while you're that uptight all the time?"

Monkey Fist raised an eyebrow as they walked to the main room – or, at least, he supposed that was where they were heading for the reunion. Finding his way in ancient, trap-filled temples had been nothing compared to having to find his way through that lair. He faintly wondered why the others didn't seem to have such problems – maybe they were more used to that kind of surroundings than he was.

"I'm afraid we have quite different ideas of what is…_fun_ and what is not, Mr. Lipsky," he said "at least to me, that little…show you and your cousin put up on the table was anything but amusing. It simply made you look like imbeciles."

Motor Ed didn't even seem to acknowledge his not really subtle insult. "C'mon, you need to loosen up a bit…and what's up with this 'Mr. Lipsky' thing, dude? It's Motor Ed – I don't go around calling you Lord Fiske like that Senior guy, seriously."

Monkey Fist sighed. "Alright then. I'll call you with that…idiotic pun name you chose for yourself--"

"Says the one who made an anagram of his name to be called like some kind of monkey kung fu stuff," Drakken said quietly, causing Dementor to snicker.

"…_if_ you give me your word you'll quit calling me…" he wrinkled his nose as if he was about to say a nasty word "…_dude_."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," was the dry reply.

Motor Ed shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I mean, seriously, what's the point in choosing villain names if people don't use… no, no, no!" he protested as he noticed Drakken was tying his hair back in a ponytail "seriously, Drew, you should know better than that! Never try tame your mane – don't you want to impress Green? Seriously!"

"But I always keep my hair tied," Drakken tried to protest as his cousin snatched the hair tie from his hands.

"Yeah, and that's why you never got Green to like you as she likes me," he said, causing Monkey Fist and Dementor to exchange a quick, somewhat amused glance for the first time "you seriously have no skills with chicks…"

"Chicks?" Monkey Fist repeated, frowning in confusion. Why should Drakken care about newborn birds at all?

"As in 'ladies', not nestlings," Dementor kindly explained "I'm not sure I even vant to knov vat the connection is supposed to be. I vouldn't like being called like zat if I vere a woman."

Monkey Fist shuddered a little at the mental image of Dementor wearing something similar to Killigan's kilt. "Me neither. Not that I'm interested on…whoever you might want to impress, Drakken, but are you completely certain that your cousin is someone whose advice you're willing to follow?"

"Well…" Drakken glanced at his cousin somewhat hesitantly. Alright, maybe Ed wasn't the best guy around to ask for advice when it came to women – let alone _Shego_ – but then again, he got the distinct feeling he knew more on the subject than he did. Not that it took that much knowledge anyway, Drakken mused, and he recoiled as he suddenly realized that everyone seemed to know about his…simply _non-existing_ infatuation for Shego. "I don't want to impress anyone!" he protested, but it was way too late to convince anyone.

"Yes, zat's exactly ze reason you vere babbling like an idiot in front of her and zen began playing ze air guitar vith your idiotic cousin after he said vomen like it…" Dementor mocked him "and vhy are you keeping your hair loose just as he said?"

"Er…" Drakken hesitated before he clenched his jaw, snatched back the hair tie from Motor Ed's hands and quickly tied his hair back in his usual ponytail, muttering something intelligible to himself as he walked faster down the hallway to put some distance between them and himself.

Motor Ed shook his head, disapprovingly clicking his tongue as his cousin turned around a corner. "He's _totally_ in denial. He'll be back begging for advice, seriously – he just doesn't know how to act around a babe," he muttered, then he turned to Monkey Fist with a grin "speaking of babes--"

"This _better_ have nothing to do with Amy Hall," Monkey Fist – who had barely been listening to whatever they said since last time he had spoken, preferring to concentrate his thoughts on what Stoppable had told him little more than half an hour before – snapped at him, hoping that he would get the hint and understand it was the most inopportune topic to bring up with him in that moment. Well, the _second_ most inopportune one, her thought grimly.

Unsurprisingly enough, Motor Ed didn't take the hint. "Yeah, yeah, I know the whole thing with DNAmy – but seriously, dude, if you don't want her after you--"

"Of course I don't!"

"…then you're going to like the news," Ed continued, grinning "because seriously, it's so obvious that Killigan totally has a thing for her!"

It took a few moments for his words to sink in Monkey Fist's brain, and when they did his features twisted in an incredulous and somewhat disgusted expression. "Excuse me?" he nearly screeched.

"Zat's true," Dementor confirmed with a snicker "even a blind man vould get it, but zat golfer keeps saying he doesn't…"

"Yeah, he's totally in denial too," Motor Ed said before frowning "seriously, how comes _everyone_ is totally in denial here?"

"It's not like it vas any different vit you and your cousin's sidekick," Dementor pointed out, faintly wondering when had exactly that dimwit decided it would be fun playing the matchmaker for other people while it was clear he was a disaster himself.

"True, she's in some serious denial over me too," Ed admitted, not quite getting what Dementor had meant "and I'm, like, totally sorry I have to break her heart, but I can't pick a chick my cousin has a thing for. But once I'm done with teaching him, she'll totally fall for him, seriously! And--" he trailed off as he realized that now there was only Dementor walking by his side. He turned to see Monkey Fist had stopped walking and was standing behind them, motionless, his face frozen in a horrified rictus. "Uh…monkey dude? You okay?" he called out, waving at him.

"Killigan?" Monkey Fist repeated, still looking horrified "_Duff Killigan_?"

"Do ve have anyone else vit ze same name here?"

"Good Lord," the monkey man muttered, his face twisted in utter disgust at the thought "Killigan and DNAmy?" he repeated, apparently unable to wrap his mind around the idea "this is…this…is…"

"Wrongsick?" Motor Ed suggested. He didn't really remember who he had heard saying that, but he thought it kinda fit what the monkey man had to be thinking of the idea of those two together.

Monkey Fist nodded with a shudder. "Yes! That's exactly…" Monkey Fist paused and blinked "that sounds like something the pretender would say," he muttered in distaste.

"Pretender?"

"Ron Stoppable."

"Who?"

"He means ze sidekick, I guess," Dementor clarified to Motor Ed's benefit.

"Oh," Ed shrugged, already forgetting that dude's name again "anyway, he's totally after her! And she kinda likes him, seriously, but right now she's too busy fussing over you to realize it."

"It's not like I _want_ her to," Monkey Fist pointed out, a disgusted expression still on his face as they finally began walking again to the main room "Killigan can keep her, thank you so--"

"Yo-hoo, monkey muffin!"

Whatever Monkey Fist was about to say turned into a terrified screech. He immediately began running to the main room without even turning back, nearly knocking Dementor off his feet.

"Ouch! Look vere you're going, you baboo--" he began yelling, but he trailed off with a yelp as Amy rushed past him as well, stepping on his foot.

"Oh, don't be a meanie, Monty Wonty, I only want to hug you and kiss you and cuddle--" her voice was cut off as she ran after Monkey Fist inside the main room and the door closed behind her.

Motor Ed snickered. "Yeah, you couldn't say he likes that chick, seriously."

"And I can see vhy!" Dementor said with a grimace as he tentatively put the foot she had accidentally stomped onto on the floor "couldn't zat voman look vere she vas _going_?"

"Och, maybe ye should stop standing on everyone's way," Killigan – who had clearly been walking with DNAmy until she spotted Monkey Fist and turned into a screaming fangirl – muttered gruffly as he walked up to them, a sulky expression on his face…and it wasn't hard to see why, Motor Ed mused. No one would be glad to see the chick they have a thing for running after another guy like that, seriously.

"_Vat_?" Dementor glared at him indignantly, his yellow-tinted face turning red with anger.

"Ye heard me," Killigan snorted "ye shouldn't be standing in the middle of the hallway anyway!"

"I vasn't even standing in ze middle – I vas _near ze vall_!" Dementor yelled back, folding his arms "it's not my fault if she's so _fat_ zat…ouch!" he yelped as Killigan suddenly stepped forward and grabbed him by the front of the de-activated battlesuit he was still wearing, slamming him against the wall with enough strength to make his helmet connect with the wall with a metallic sound that echoed in his ears for a few moments.

"Don't ye ever dare to insult that lass again, lad!" the Scottish golfer barked, still keeping him pinned against the wall "say that one more time and I'll make ye regret--"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down!" Motor Ed stepped forward and grabbed Killigan's shoulder to pull him back "no need to get all worked up, dude, seriously!"

"Ja, vhy should you care anyvay? It's not like she's your _girlfriend_," Dementor said a little snidely, brushing the front of his battlesuit even though there wasn't one single wrinkle on it. If only he could _use_ it now…!

Killigan seemed taken aback for a moment, then he snorted. "Ye just don't talk about a lass like that, that's all – so ye better watch yer tongue," he said grumpily before turning and walking towards the main room "move, or we'll be late."

Motor Ed smirked and approached Killigan, completely ignoring how Dementor was complaining about how no one there could give him orders or threaten him. He opened his mouth to say something, but he immediately closed it again as Killigan gave him a deadly glare. "Whatever you're thinking, lad, _keep it for yerself_."

* * *

"Let me go! You insane woman – let me go this very instant!"

"Aw, don't be such a meanie, cuddle monkey! I only want to--"

"Well, I don't! Get off me, or else--" he tailed off and gave an odd sound between a shriek of rage and a high pitched laughter "no, stop it! Stop it, I said!"

"Ohh, you're still ticklish, aren't you…?"

It took some time, a lot of shouts and a few insults that DNAmy seemed to not even hear to convince her to let go of her 'Montykins', and a few more minutes and some threats from Dr. Director to make most people in the room stop laughing. Even though some people still kept snickering – most notably Gemini, probably more to irk his sister than for actual amusement – they finally managed to sit and start the reunion only half an hour later than it was supposed to start.

It had taken less than she had feared, Kim in mild amusement, her gaze lingering on Monkey Fist – who was sitting as far from DNAmy as he could with all the dignity he could muster. His rigid pose and expression didn't escape Amy.

"Aw, you shouldn't be so grumpy, honey bunny," she chirped, but her smile wasn't as wide as it usually was as she finally did as he had asked and leant back on her seat. Her Montykins had never been very cheerful, but he seemed to be in a really awful mood lately, which puzzled her. He had just been released from his stone prison, so why should he be that grumpy? He was supposed to be glad he was back, she mused…and he surely could have shown some enthusiasm while meeting her: she had been keeping him close to her for the whole time while he was a stone statue, talking to him all the time so he wouldn't get lonely and making sure he didn't get all dusty. It was true she hadn't minded doing so, but it would have been nice of him at least _thanking_ her.

Amy blinked, a little surprised by her own thoughts. When she had first spoken to Monty after he had been brought back to his normal self, she hadn't even minded that he hadn't thanked her at all for digging him up and taking care of his monkey ninjas while he couldn't. Actually, she doubted she would have even noticed his lack of gratitude if Duffy hadn't gotten mad over it and told Monty he should thank her. She smiled a little at the thought, glancing sideways at the golfer who was leaning against the set, his arms folded, occasionally glaring at her monkey muffin for some reason.

He really looked like a big, sulky teddy bear, she thought, and she had to hold back a chuckle. He wanted to seem so bad, but she knew he really was a big softie inside – it was rather obvious by the fact he had protected her Lucy from Gemini meanie when he had tried to shoot her for making his chihuahua nervous. Amy frowned a little at the thought, glancing disapprovingly at the leader of WEE just for a moment before turning her gaze back to Killigan without even looking at Monkey Fist again and faintly wondering how much longer that reunion would last – she wouldn't have minded getting back in the lab with him to create some more of those beasties once those GJ guys had brought the ones they had already created out of the lab.

She had to admit that working with Killigan _was_ fun, and…well, truth to be told, he could be a better company than her Montykins was. A little surprised by her own thoughts, Amy shook her head and turned her attention back to what Dr. Director was saying.

"According to out estimations, the Lowardian fleet should be here in no less than ten days," she said, everyone suddenly turned completely silent "their ships turned out to be a lot faster than we anticipated."

Ron stared at her in shock, his mouth hanging open. Ten days? Just ten _days_? There was no way he could get good enough with his Mystical Monkey Stuff in only ten days! He swallowed and glanced sideways at Monkey Fist, and he wasn't surprised to see he was looking at him as well, his expression unreadable.

"Later," the monkey man mouthed silently, and Ron nodded, clenching his jaw. Fine, ten days would be enough, he decided, holding Hana a little closer to him and turning to look at Kim, who seemed a little nervous. They _had_ to be enough, he thought almost fiercely.

"Ten days?" Shego repeated "awesome, we have much less time than we thought. What's the plan, Big Boss? You had us working here, but we still know nothing about the strategy. We don't even know if we _have_ one," she pointed out "and I really hope it's better than any plan Dr. D here ever cooked up."

"Shego!" Drakken protested, folding his arms "do I have to remind you that I _saved Earth_ last time?" he said, straightening himself in what he assumed was an impressive pose and glancing at her. The only reaction he got, however, was a muffled snicker from Dementor.

"See? You're one of ze heroes," he said, causing Drakken to literally shrink on his seat. As for Shego, she didn't seem impressed at all – she was even _avoiding_ to look at him. Maybe he should really take advice from cousin Eddie after all, the blue skinned scientist thought. He glanced across the table at his cousin, only to get his usual 'told you so, dude' look.

"Our first move will be making sure to strike first," was Dr. Director's reply "we have the advantage to play on out ground, which should grant us almost unlimited supplies. The Lowardians, on the other hand, will have to only rely on what they could bring with them."

"Aye, but what they had with them was enough last time," Killigan pointed out, still looking somewhat sulky – witnessing DNAmy fussing over monkey boy once again certainly hadn't brightened his mood. He glared once again at the monkey man, who barely glanced at him and turned away after shuddering a little – what was his problem anyway?

"But this time we know they're coming. It was a wrong move of them warning us beforehand – I don't know if they did so because they underestimated us or out of arrogance, but either way this takes away one of the greatest advantages they had over us. We were an easy prey when they could take us by surprise after shutting off all power sources all over the planet, but we're making sure they won't be able to do so this time. We'll be prepared to receive them."

Gemini snorted. "And _how_ exactly? I really hope you're not referring to a welcome party, Betty," he said, clearly annoyed by how his sister had gotten all the attention.

Dr. Director gritted her teeth, and when she spoke again – purposely avoiding to even turn to look at him – her voice was as cold as ice. "We're setting up all the missiles we have and acquiring the launch codes of all the of the nuclear arsenals around the globe," she said, and everyone looked rather impressed – even Monkey Fist raised an eyebrow, while DNAmy seemed rather scared by the idea and Frugal Lucre muttered something about how expensive it would be "we'll launch them against the Lowardians ships the as soon as they are in range – although we'll have to handle it carefully. If we launch them when they're too close, the effects on Earth might be devastating."

"Yeah, let's give them all the time to see the missiles coming and to avoid them – that's a dumb idea if I ever heard one," Gemini grumbled, doing his best to not show his sister how actually impressed he was himself. Still, _he_ could have done that too if he had the launch codes of nuclear arsenals. It was just like when they were kids, all over again – she always got the best toys!

"I guess it's a good thing the matter is _not_ in your hands – you'd end up causing more trouble than the Lowardians," Dr. Director said sarcastically before turning her attention back to everyone else "the attack would be massive, so even if they see it coming they won't be able to avoid all damage. We hope we can heavily damage their ships, and possibly destroy a good part of their weapons and supplies."

DNAmy frowned. "But someone could get…hurt," she said, unwilling to bring herself to say 'killed'.

Dr. Director sighed. "This is war, Ms. Hall, and people die in war," she said gravely, and both Kim and Ron felt a slight pang of something they couldn't define at the thought. No one had been killed in any mission they had been involved into, ever. Kim turned to glance at Wade, whose gaze was fixed ahead.

"They are here to destroy us, and we have to react," Dr. Director was going on "and our only possible defence is attacking as well. It's them or us."

"But it sounds so bad…!" Amy protested.

"War _is_ bad," was the dry reply, and surprisingly enough it didn't come from Dr. Director – it came from Gemini "and now that we have actually come to the incredible conclusion that was is, indeed, a _bad_ thing, how about going ahead with illustrating the strategy?"

"Ye don't _have_ to snap at the lass like that, ye know," Killigan grumbled, glaring at him from the other side of the table and gaining himself a rather disgusted look by Monkey Fist – still rather shaken by the idea _he_ could actual harbour feeling for Amy Hall of all people – and an admiring and somewhat thankful glance from Amy. She surely couldn't say her Monty was doing much to speak up for her, she thought, glancing in mild disapproval at the monkey man – who, on the other hand, had turned his gaze away from Killigan and now seemed completely uninterested on anything that was going on around him, only occasionally glaring at Stoppable and never looking at her.

Gemini gave the golfer an annoyed and somewhat amused look. "Have you decided to be her knight in the shining armour or what?" he asked "because if you ask to me, a _skirt_ doesn't make much of an armour."

"It's a _kilt_!"

"Please, not again," Senior said somewhat tiredly, speaking for the first time "last thing we need is fighting each other now that we're under attack, don't you think?"

"I'm with the old man here," Shego said, holding up her hands "chill, okay? I get the feeling that the sooner this reunion is over, the better it is for everyone's nerves."

"Yeah, the chick is right, seriously!" Motor Ed said, and a second later a blast of green plasma hit him square on his chest, making him fall off his seat. Dementor, who was sitting next to him, nervously shifted on his seat, as if trying to make himself as small as he could – not a difficult task, Kim thought in amusement before turning to Shego.

"What was _that_ for?" she asked – compared to his usual behavior, Motor Ed hadn't done much to deserve it this time.

Shego shrugged. "Because," was all she said. Kim rolled her eyes – and then she told other people to chill, she mused.

Motor Ed let out a groan as he sat back on his seat, then he looked at Drakken. "Totally in denial," he muttered silently, and Drakken couldn't help but think that yeah, after all he was probably better off _not_ listening to any advice regarding Shego his cousin gave him. Not that there was any _reason_ why he needed any kind of advice, of course.

"However," Dr. Director began speaking again, trying to ignore the massive migraine that was starting to built on in her skull "this will only be our first approach. We of course cannot predict what their strategy will be, nor how many men and weapons they will manage to save from our first attack. We must be ready for a full force attack any moment – hopefully, now that we actually have weapons that can easily damage the material their weapons are made of the fight should be more even," she said, causing Drakken, Killigan and Dementor to smirk somewhat proudly. "Without being able to defeat us with just their weapons like last time, they will probably have to use their men to attack."

"Yeah, they're a lot stronger than we are. _That_ could be a problem, seriously," Motor Ed pointed out.

"This is where the creatures Ms. Hall is creating will come into play – the agents that are bringing the specimens she already created outside reported that they should prove to be an effective weapon to use against the Lowardian infantry, given that they will obey to out orders."

"Zey vill," Dementor assured "I built ze mind control chips myself, and unlike someone else's zey _vork_," he added, glaring at Drakken, who folded his arms and grumbled something about Flower Power being better.

Dr. Director nodded. "Perfect. Other than that, the battlesuits Mr. Load came up with will be extremely useful to our soldiers," she went on, and Wade seemed both pleased and embarrassed by being called 'Mr. Load' "by increasing the strength and speed of whoever wears them, other than granting some more useful abilities, they should reduce the disadvantage--" she trailed off with a growl as something that looked like a crumpled ball of paper hit the back of her head. "Do you think we're still in school or what?" she nearly growled, turning to her twin "if you have something meaningful to share with us, just _speak_."

"Sure I do!" Gemini grinned a little "tell me, little sister, do you really think we can produce enough battlesuit for every single soldier on Earth while producing at the same time the weapons we're going to need? I took a look at the reports – even with the Hench Co. working on it with us, they would barely be enough for half of them. If we're very, very quick."

"Looks like you got better at math," Dr. Director said dryly – she knew her brother had something in mind, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of asking.

"Seems like you have something in mind," Senior said, leaning back on his seat and hoping they wouldn't start bantering again. It was a most inopportune moment to start a fight.

"I do," Gemini said with some satisfaction. Still keeping Pepe cradled in the crook of his arm he put a hand in his pocket, then he frowned before looking at the ball of crumpled paper he had thrown at his sister. "Er…give me that back."

Dr. Director snorted and threw it back at him with some more force than necessary. Gemini unfolded it and put it back on the desk – it was a picture of what looked like a normal golden ring. "Molecular Muscle Enhancers – it's a Hench Co. device, obviously. I'm not surprised you didn't even know about it, baby sister, considering what a lousy espionage work your agents do," he said snidely.

Dr. Director glared at him. "I _do_ know about these devices, but you can't expect me to remember _every_ single thing the Hench Co. comes up with every week," she said coldly.

Gemini childishly stuck out her tongue at her. "You're just jealous because I came up with it," he said, completely ignoring the fact it had actually been Frugal Lucre to have that idea. Lucre – to whom no one had been paying any attention – shifted on the seat, debating to himself if he should point it out or not, but his gaze fell on his boss' mechanical hand and he decided against it. He leant back on his seat with a scowl.

Dr. Director snorted. "Grow up," she muttered.

"You grow up! I'm the older--"

"Excuse me," Senior said, raising his hands to get their attention "I'm sorry to interrupt this touching family discussion, but I think it would be better focusing out attention on the device Gemini is talking about. _Without_ gloating, if you don't mind," he said a little more sharply, glancing at Gemini.

The leader of WEE glanced at him a little sulkily, but he eventually shrugged and turned back his attention on the topic. "Whatever. As most of you should know, the Molecular Muscle Enhancers increase the muscle mass and strength of whoever is wearing them instantly…"

"Sure I know, I stole them…" Drakken paused as Shego glared at him "I mean, I sent Shego to--" he trailed off with a yelp as a missile coming from Gemini's mechanical hand exploded right in front of him, making him tumbled on the ground. "Hey!"

"Yes, Hench asked me to have a word with you about that. Thanks for reminding me," Gemini said smoothly before turning to the others "so…where was I?"

"The Molecular Muscle Enhancers," Kim reminded him "I remember them – _someone_ made a mess with one of those rings once," she said, glancing sideways at Ron, who grinned a little sheepishly.

"The buffoon, causing trouble? My, who would have guessed," Monkey Fist said sarcastically. How could there even be one single possibility for that boy to _really_ have any control over Mystical Monkey Power?

_This is what you'll have to find out._

"That boy _is_ trouble," Gemini grumbled – he recalled all too well how that Ron Factor mess had ended up.

"Hey, I can hear you, you know!" Ron protested, but Gemini went on without even looking at him.

"So, seems like some of you are already familiar with those rings," he said "I already talked to Jack Hench about them. He's ready to start producing as many as he can – it takes much less time then building battlesuits, and they could be useful to the soldier that couldn't get a battlesuit – increased strength is still better than nothing."

"Aye, it makes sense," Killigan said "better then leaving about half of the soldiers on the globe with nothing."

Dr. Director nodded somewhat grudgingly. "Fine," she said "I'll let Hench know he can go ahead."

"No need of you getting in the way, baby sister. I can--"

"You're not getting to do _anything_ behind my back," she snapped – last thing she needed was having her brother trying to play some trick one her with Hench and his stuff "and now _shut up_, unless you want everyone to know how mom used to call you when we were children," she added with a smirk. Gemini suddenly got paler and seemed to shrink on his seat. He leant back, sulkily petting his dog without noticing how everyone was smirking – especially Lucre. He had it coming for taking credit for his idea!

"Hey, that's not fair, seriously! I want to know – how did she call him?" Motor Ed protested, gaining himself a glare from Gemini. Dr. Director, on the other and, didn't reply to his question.

"As for you, Mr. Lipsky," she said, turning to glance at Motor Ed "if it's not asking too much, we'd be _delighted_ to finally know what are you exactly working onto."

Motor Ed was about to protest and say that he wanted to keep it a secret until it was finished so they would be _seriously_ stunned, but he quickly changed his mind as he saw Shego lighting up her hand and glare at him. "Okay, okay, here it is – you shouldn't get so worked up, seriously," he grumbled as he took something from his pocket and put it on the desk "here you go."

Kim blinked as she looked on the sheet. There were some drawings drawn from different perspectives of something much similar to a motorbike, still much bigger and with what seemed cannons sticking from the front. In one of the drawings the motorbike had no wheels and it looked like it was hovering, while in another one it seemed to have some kind of shield around it, like a force field or something. "Er…what does this thing do?" Kim finally asked.

"A lot of stuff, Red," was Motor Ed's proud reply "it goes faster than anything you can think of, seriously – both in the ground and in the air!"

"So you built the fastest hoverbike ever – so _what_?" Drakken asked, looking mightily disappointed; he had been curious to find out what his cousin was working onto "this is not some kind of race, you know."

"Whoa, Drew, chill. Seriously, this is not just a hoverbike!" he reached to point out some details on the drawing "I'm not much into weapons, you know, so I thought I could just concentrate on the bike and then taking something from your ideas to make a weapon out of it. See the cannons here? This one can shoot highly pressurized acid – the one Drew invented – and this one is designed to shoot Dementor's ray. And the holes here," he pointed at some small holes on a side of the hoverbike "they can drop that explosive Killigan came up with – a lot of those bombs can be stored into that. And this," he finished "is an idea I took from the high-tech dude here. If one can create a shield around a battlesuit, why not around a hoverbike? It would make it impossible to destroy, so one could seriously crush a lot of Lowardian…uh…." Motor Ed paused as he realized everyone was looking at him as if he had suddenly fallen there from the sky "…what?"

"This is…quite impressive," Senior finally spoke, apparently voicing everyone's thoughts.

"So you're not _that_ stupid," Shego said in mild surprise, raising an eyebrow without noticed how Drakken had grimaced at her comment. It just didn't feel _right_ hearing her making a positive remark on anything related to her cousin. She hadn't seemed that impressed when he had tried to tell her about his acid…!

"Wow, this rocks!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, causing Hana to giggle "can I try it out?"

"Perhaps you should concentrate of other matters, Stoppable, don't you think?" Monkey Fist said, glaring at him, and the grin that had spread on Ron's face promptly evaporated at the thought.

"It is impressive," Dr. Director admitted "how long do you think it will take you to complete the prototype?"

Motor Ed grinned, clearly pleased by how impressed everyone seemed. "Well, usually it would take a few days, seriously. But if I really get into it…by tomorrow morning," he finally said with a shrug "I'll stay up tonight. Hey there, kid – you like the mullet, don't you?" he grinned broadly as he saw Hana was trying to catch a handful of his hair, giggling. Monkey Fist held back the urge to tell him to run away while he could.

"That would be perfect – the sooner we can start building more of those, the better," was the reply "and what about _you_, Lord Fiske?"

Monkey Fist – who hadn't really paid attention to much of what they had said in the past few minutes, lost in thought: why should he care about whatever those fools had to say? – scowled as he realized everyone's eyes were fixed on him. "I take it you want to know if I am making any progress with my powers," he said dryly.

"If it's not asking too much," Kim said somewhat sarcastically, warily glaring at him.

"I know how to unlock the power," Monkey Fist just said, barely giving her an annoyed glare "and I'm going to need peace and concentration if I want to do so in such a short time – which means that every second I spend in this room is pretty much wasted to begin with," he added, getting up from his seat "if you don't mind, I'm probably better off meditating in the dojo than staying here. I'm hardly an expert when it comes to technology – I wouldn't be of any use here anyway."

Dr. Director nodded. "Fair enough," she said "just one thing – no tricks. If you give me any reason to suspect you're up for trouble, I will not hesitate to have you turned back in a stone statue..."

Monkey Fist sneered. "I had no doubts."

"…and to personally grind you to dust," Dr. Director added, causing the monkey man to actually shudder "just a friendly warning, of course."

Monkey Fist narrowed his eyes– he had no doubts that she would actually carry on her threat if the situation called for it. "Of course," he said icily, taking a mental note to kill her painfully the moment he got a chance. Or maybe he would leave that pleasure to her brother – after all, he had been the one who had told him to hide in the closet when DNAmy had been about to catch him. Monkey Fist briefly turned to glance at Ron, and the boy nodded slightly before the monkey man turned and left the room without adding a single word.

Killigan grimaced as he watched him leaving, fully expecting DNAmy to run after him, but much his – and everyone's – surprise, she didn't even try to call after him. She just sat where she was, looking rather thoughtful, barely turning to glance at his retreating back.

"So, that's all, right?" Shego finally spoke "I think I hear the tanning bed calling my name."

"Why do you even bother if you stay pale anyway?" Drakken muttered.

"Habit," was all Shego said with a shrug "so, can we go now?"

Dr. Director nodded. "There is nothing else you need to know for now," she said.

"Great!" Ron exclaimed, getting up "because I'm…uh…I need a bathroom break. Can you keep her?" he asked, handing Hana to Senior. The child laughed and eagerly reached for him.

The old man smiled as he took the baby. "Of course," he said before tuning to Kim, who was getting up as well to leave the room like everyone else "Miss Possible, may I have a word with you in private?"

Kim blinked in surprise before nodding. "Sure," she said, gesturing to Ron and Wade to go ahead "what's the sitch?"

Senior leant more comfortably on his seat. "I know you'll probably think it's indiscreet of me asking what I'm about to ask, and I assure you I wouldn't if I didn't have my good reasons to be worried for my son."

"Oh," Kim smiled a little "I see – it's about Bonnie, isn't it?"

Now it was Senior's turn to be surprised. "How did you…?"

"Because I know I would be worried if I has a son that was dating someone like her," she said with a small chuckle before turning serious "but really, she and Junior seem to get along quite well," she added. She was half tempted to add that they were a perfect match for each other since he probably was the only guy stupid enough to keep up with her, but she stopped herself just in time.

Senior sighed. "Yes, I know," he said, smiling just a little as he saw Hana playing with his cane "but I also know that a lot of times people can be just excellent actors. Especially when money is involved," he added somewhat bitterly. He glanced at Kim, whose confused expression was slowly turning into an understanding one. "I'd do anything in my power to make sure my son doesn't have to find out this bitter truth the hard way, Miss Possible. As you might have noticed, he's a very…gullible person."

Kim was pretty sure she would have chosen another term, but she simply nodded. "Yes, kind of," she said, smiling just a little.

The old man nodded a little. "Yes, he's gullible, irresponsible and naïve," he said, more to himself than to her now "he's like a child, no matter how old he gets, and it probably was my fault. I've made too many mistakes with him already – if he will have to suffer because of this…Rockwaller girl, it will be both for his own mistakes and mine. I can't let it happen."

"Er…I see," Kim cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly "so, let me get this straight – you want my opinion on Bonnie, right?"

"If I'm not asking too much."

* * *

"C'mon, dude, just one little help! It's not asking too much, is it?" Ron trying again, speaking to the empty room "Sensei?" he tried again, hoping the old man would appear out of thin air like he did when he did his ghost-thing trick.

He had wanted to follow Monkey Fist in his dojo like he had not-so-subtly told him to so they could start talking about that whole mess about Mystical Monkey Power and he could hopefully convince him to help him with his powers, but his courage had seemed to decrease with every step he took, so he had decided to try calling for Sensei again…just to make sure the old man hadn't thought up of _any_ other way to learn using his powers in the meanwhile, that was it. Because really, he would have been willing to learn any other way.

Too bad, it looked like calling for him didn't work. "Well, it was worth a try, wasn't it?" Ron asked, and Rufus nodded from his pocket – he didn't really seem too enthusiast at the thought of having to face Monkey Fist either. "Yeah, too bad it didn't work," Ron sighed, turning to leave "I just hope he's going to keep Dr. Director's threat in mind before he does anything--"

"Are you troubled, Stoppable-san?"

"Eep!" Ron yelped before he turned to face Sensei's hovering, ghost like figure. He somewhat managed to look dignified even though he was currently floating over a toilet seat. "Whoa, dude, can't you _ever_ show up when people expect you to?" he protested.

Sensei seemed amused. "My apologies, Stoppable-san. I sensed your doubts and heard your call, but it takes a while to reach enough concentration to communicate this way. What is it that's troubling you?"

"Monkey Fist is. Are you totally certain there is no other way to learn how to control my powers? No at all?"

"I'm afraid not, Stoppable-san. He must help you – it's the only reason why his destiny crossed paths Mystical Monkey Power. He's meant to."

"Uh? Destiny? Wait a minute," Ron said, frowning "do you mean…Monkey Fist was _meant_ to be involved in this whole Mystical Monkey Power thing?"

"He was meant to collect all the jade statues so you could receive the power that belongs to you, yes," Sensei nodded "that was where his destiny and yours necessarily had to cross paths. But that arrogant fool didn't understand a thing – such arrogance, claiming as his own a such power while he was nothing but a mere tool in the fulfilment of your destiny."

"Oh," Ron frowned "you know, it sounds kinda harsh put that way."

"Are you saying you don't think he's an arrogant fool?" Sensei asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, no – he is. And he's completely nuts too," he made a face "but really, I don't know how much I like this whole…_tool_ thing," he admitted. The thought actually made him uncomfortable – Monkey Fist had devoted his life to have a power and a title he was only meant to give to someone else…and he didn't know it. Fate had _given_ him that power only to have him giving it to someone else – despite the fact it was a bad guy they were talking about and that he probably didn't deserve that power anyway, it still seemed a cruel and useless mockery to him. Fate seemed like a cat playing with a mouse before devouring it, he thought.

"I know it might seem unfair to you," the old man nodded "but there is one thing you didn't consider – while Monkey Fist was destined to give the power to you, under what circumstances was entirely up to him."

Ron seemed even more confused. "Er…explain?"

Sensei chuckled before he spoke again. "You see, fate is something powerful and inexplicable that goes beyond fair and unfair. Some things are just beyond our control, and fate is one of those, no matter how much we try to bend to our will. I would be like trying to control a rockslide whose course could be shifted any moment by one single, harmless pebble. And no pebble is placed where it is by accident."

"Er…that makes it sound like we're all a bunch of puppets," Ron pointed out "with dear old Mr. Fate as the puppet master. Not cool."

"But, unlike puppets, we have our own free will, and we have choices. Choices are the backbone of everything we do and become – choices are what allows us to have a say in the matter, to shape our own destiny. Monkey Fist made the wrong choices, and no one is to blame but himself. I'm certain that on his way to find the source of Mystical Monkey Power he did find enough signs to tell him he wasn't the one who could someday have the title of Monkey Master, but he chose to ignore them. His arrogance and greed blinded him – he grew to believe the power was meant to belong to him because of them, and he let his mind sink into obsession."

"But if he was meant to get the power, he must have thought…" Ron muttered, unable to get rid of the thought that actually getting that power hadn't helped him to be any less delusional.

"He could have realized he was simply destined to give the power to its true owner; he could have stepped back and helped you through your journey to claim your title since the first moment. Instead, he kept sinking deeper into his obsession until he lost himself. That man let the mere _thought_ of power corrupting him – how could he ever be able to actually handle a such power without horrible consequences for the world and for himself?"

"Well…" Ron hesitated before nodding, suddenly feeling a lot less sorry for him as he recalled how he had tried to kidnap his sister after having Kim, Rufus and Sensei turned into stone by the Yono "he couldn't."

"Exactly. Mystical Monkey Power can only belong to someone whose heart is as pure as yours. Monkey Fist made the wrong choices. Learn from him everything you can learn. Most of all, learn form his mistakes so you won't fall in the same trap. He might or might not be beyond any help now, but he still has a part to play in the fulfilment of your destiny."

Ron grinned a little sheepishly. "Yeah, looks like I really need private lessons," he said, feeling just slightly nervous at the thought of having to start his training with that monkey-obsessed psycho.

Sensei chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you could find whatever he could teach you very useful," he said "but most importantly, he still has something to give you. The portion of Mystical Monkey Power in him – you must have it now that you're ready. Only then your power will be complete."

"Wha…?" Ron stared at him for a few moments, his mouth hanging open "and how do you think I'm going to convince him? He'll never give up on it! He'd kill me if I tried to ask!"

"I'm confident enough that you won't have to ask," was the reply "only focus on learning how to control your powers and nothing else. It's destiny that both parts of Mystical Monkey Power will soon be yours through him."

"Aw, c'mon, don't tell me he was _also_ meant to keep a part of the powers for himself!" Ron groaned.

"Precisely," was the serene reply "when you were blessed with your power, you were not ready yet for it, and the results could be devastating it you failed to control the power in its wholeness. Monkey Fist had to keep at least a portion of the power within himself until the moment you were ready for it – and now that moment is drawing nearer."

Ron blinked. "Does that mean he's going to have to give up even on the portion of power he really managed to get his hands onto?"

"Yes."

"Ouch," the boy made a face "he's not going to like it."

"Probably not, but destiny is something you cannot fight. He will have to give up on Mystical Monkey Power very soon, and I get the feeling that he will be convinced to give up on it by the very same thing that kept him going for so long on his insane quest."

"…monkeys?"

"Greed."

"Ah," Ron blinked "wait, isn't that supposed to make him cling even more to his Mystical Monkey stuff?"

Sensei shook his head. "Not if he thinks he can gain even more by giving up on it. But that's none of your concern: all you have to do it learning how to control your powers and keeping your heart pure. And remember," he stared at him straight in his eyes "your true strength comes from your loved ones. Always use your power to protect them and the weak, never for personal gain, and you will truly be unstoppable."


	13. Motivations

_A/N: I know, I know – yet another late update. In my defence, I have to say that my NaNoWriMo project took over all my spare time throughout all November and…uh…alright, I have nothing else to say in my defence. Isn't having to write a 50,000 words long fic in exactly a month enough of a justification anyway? _:P  
_Oh, and happy birthday to _**VampireNaomi**! _Yes, again. No, it's not a coincidence that I updated today. How unpredictable, uh? _XD

_Man, when you wish happy birthday to the same person twice in the A/Ns of the same fic, it means it's taking waaay too long to write it – over a year already! I'll try to update at least once a month from now on, or I'll be old by the time this ends _:P

* * *

"This has to be the most _idiotic_ game I've ever heard of," the massive Lowardian warrior snorted, crossing his arms on his chest "I really don't get why you have to do everything you see in those transmissions we intercepted from Earth."

"You only say that because it's your turn," another Lowardian taunted him "don't be a spoilsport, Warhem, you're the one who accepted to play. And remember what we said? Whoever refuses has to clean up the fourth deck. So, truth or dare?"

"Fine, _fine_," Warhem sighed, mentally cursing himself for putting himself into that – still, it was better than doing nothing all the time. It wasn't the first time he was sent to conquer some distant planet, but reaching that one was really taking forever. He forced himself to ignore the fact they weren't going there to _destroy_ rather than conquer and turned his attention back to Warhax – it was clear he wouldn't leave him alone until he replied "truth it is, then."

"You always choose truth!" another Lowardian soldier – one of the new recruits, apparently, but then again most people in that battalion were new recruits – complained "am I the only fool who chose dare?"

"Apparently, yes," a female soldier retorted with a laugh, clearly amused by his complaints "careful to not let that bucket fall, or you'll be the one to mop up the mess!"

The poor guy made a face. "At least I didn't have to admit I spend my free time gardening," he muttered under his breath, but he eventually shut up and doubled his efforts to keep the bucket filled with rubbish balanced on his head, faintly wondering how much time had passed already.

"Well, it is boring this way," Warhax admitted "we should make a new rule – no one can choose truth more than twice in a row," he said, and he didn't have to wait more than a few seconds for protests to arise.

"What?"

"Are you serious?"

"Count me out!"

"Is _this_ how Lowardian warriors react to simple dares?" Warhax muttered with an amused chuckle "I hope earthlings really aren't a threat, or you'll be all running away like a bunch of Thorgoggles in five minutes."

Everyone suddenly stopped protesting at his words, a few soldiers grinning a little sheepishly. "Of course not," one of them spoke up "I'm fine with that rule. Aren't you?" he turned to his companions.

"I am!"

"Me too!"

"Newbies," Warhem muttered with an amused smirk. They were all so predictable and sensitive to any kind of insinuation about their value – not to mention their habit of shouting 'for Lowardia!' even when they were mopping the floor was quite hilarious, he thought before turning back to Warhax "now, if I'm not mistaking I chose truth, and it was my first choice."

"Fine," Warhax frowned in thought for a few moments, and when he spoke again he looked suddenly a lot more serious "what do you think of this mission?"

A heavy silence fell on the group. Everyone – both seasoned warriors and new recruits – turned to stare at Warhem, waiting for his reply. That many of them had some perplexities about the fact their mission aimed to _destroy_ a planet and its inhabitants rather than conquering it was no real mystery – they were warriors and theirs was the art of war, not mere slaughter – but no one had dared to say that aloud since General Warhok seemed to think of it as necessary for the pride of Lowardia. Very few people dared to question Warhok...not to mention that most of the High Command seemed to share the General's opinion, so questioning him was not an option.

"General Warhok thinks it's necessary, and it's our duty to obey him to serve Lowardia," Warhem said stiffly, getting up from his seat "nothing more, nothing less. I want to see you on the second deck this evening, Warhax. As for you, the break is over. Get back to your duties," he finished before turning to leave. None of the others dared to breathe a word as they went back to their duties, and Warhax sighed, fully knowing he was up for one heck of a tongue-lashing for his less than opportune question.

* * *

"What I think of Bonnie…"Kim hesitated a little at Senior's request, fully knowing nothing she could say about Bonnie was exactly flattering. "Well, we've never really been close. We were more like rivals in school, so…my view on her may be biased. Maybe I'm not the right person to give an opinion on her."

Senior smiled. "I don't know if I made it clear enough to you already, Kim Possible, but I have a very high opinion of you. While you're hardly her friend, I'm sure you're honest enough to not lie about her only because of your rivalry. Besides, I was once told that sometimes rivals can know each other's weaknesses and flaws better than friends do – that's why I'm more than ready to trust your judgement."

She sighed, knowing nothing would make him change his mind. "Okay," she said, starting to count on her fingers "she's self-centered, egoistical and vain. She barely acknowledges other people exist unless she thinks they're cool or are useful to her, and doesn't hesitate to throw them away when they stop being so. She's the kind of person that will always try to prove she's the best just to rub it in anyone's face."

His worst worries confirmed, Senior nodded. "This is hardly a flattering description," he admitted.

"I'm not done yet."

"There is no need to go ahead, Miss Possible, I think I already--"

"I don't think she's after your son's money."

Senior blinked, surprised. "You don't? But you said--"

"That I think she's an overall insufferable person, yes," Kim shrugged "she's surely not among my favourite people in the world. But I also think she really likes Junior."

"Oh," Senior gave her a quizzical look – he still looked sceptical, but slightly relieved "what made you get to this conclusion?"

"Well…" Kim paused for a few moments, trying to think of how to begin, mildly amused by the thought she was currently talking about her rival in high school to a villain she had sent to prison several times. It looked like weird things never stop happening. "When I said she always wants to prove she's the best, I was serious. She's obsessed with being the best and all that, like she thinks she has to _deserve_ any attention she gets. I met her sisters once, and…they didn't really do much for her self-esteem – quite the contrary, so she probably tries to make up for it. When she met Junior, her boyfriend had just dumped her. My guess is that once he moved for college, Brick realized that staying with Bonnie wouldn't pay since no one knew her where he was," Kim rolled her eyes at the memory "she was really down in the dumps."

Senior frowned. "I'm not quite sure I see where's you're getting at," he admitted, although he just a little less hostile to that Rockwaller girl. A little. He couldn't even imagine how hard everything could be at such a young age when your own family doesn't support you; not that it justified her behaviour, but still…

Kim shrugged. "I'm trying to say that I think she fell for Junior because he thinks she _is_ the best without her having to do nothing to prove it. She doesn't have to _win_ his attention or something. I mean, I saw them together more than once – he adores her, doesn't he?"

A small smile formed on the old man's face. "He does," he confirmed "I supposed that's why I could never turn him into decent a criminal after all – that boy's heart is in the right place," he added fondly before glancing at her again "so, you don't think she might be using my son to personal gain."

"No, I don't think so. I saw her using people for personal gain, mind you, but I don't think this is the case."

Senior smiled warmly – it was clear he was telling the truth when he had said he trusted her judgement. "I must thank you, Miss Possible. You cannot even begin to imagine what a weight you lifted from my shoulders," he said with a slight nod.

Kim smiled back. It wasn't much compared to what she was usually did to help out people, but in the whole time she had been there she hadn't gotten to do much useful, so it felt great knowing she had been of help to somebody – villain or not. "No big."

* * *

Monkey Fist could hear Stoppable's steps coming even before he walked in the hallway that lead to his dojo. Enhanced senses was one of the advantages of being the Yono, he thought, but while a such thought would have delighted him barely days before, now it simply made him grimace – the knowledge he would have to give up on Mystical Monkey Power in order to be able to truly control the Power of Yono definitely took away most of the thrill. He shook his head to chase away the thought – he hadn't decided which power to choose yet after all – and turned to the door.

"I heard your steps from the other side of the lair, Stoppable. Stop wasting time and come in," he said dryly "I don't have the whole day."

"Oh," the door buzzed open and Stoppable's head popped in "how did you know it was me?"

"I heard you coming."

"But it could be anyone else!"

"Anyone with a whimpering rodent in their pocket."

"Hey!" Rufus protested, glaring at him from Ron's pocket.

Monkey Fist sneered. "If it's my apologies you want, rodent, you might have a long wait ahead," he said before turning back to Ron, his eyes narrowed "now sit down and tell me _everything_," he hissed. He didn't have to add any threat for the boy to understand he wouldn't like the consequences if he didn't immediately do as he had been told.

Ron swallowed and sat cross-legged in front of Monkey Fist. "So, uh…is the incense really necessary?" he asked, as if trying to turn his attention on another subject "it smells funny. I mean, I get it you could need it back home to cover up the monkey smell, but there are no monkeys here…"

"I will burn just as much incense as I please, Stoppable," the monkey man growled – how _could_ that boy get on his nerves that quickly any time he opened his stupid mouth to speak? "Now, why don't you make yourself useful and tell me just what happened when you used Mystical Monkey Power – _if_ you did?"

"Dude, I already told you! I was training with Wade--"

"Who?"

"Wade. You know, our computer expert…"

Monkey Fist blinked. "That boy?" he asked as he thought about the young, chubby boy "just what kind of _training_ can you have with someone like him?"

"He was teaching me how to use my battlesuit," Ron clarified, causing the monkey man to wrinkle his nose in distaste.

"A cheap shortcut for those who don't have any abnegation and talent for martial arts," he muttered "it doesn't surprise me that you would need something like that to put up a true fight."

Ron frowned. "Hey, I could hold my own against you last… well, the second to last time we met," he protested "near that volcano, remember? And the last time you were defeated by a_ baby_."

Monkey Fist's eyes narrowed. "By a powerful ninja secret weapon," he corrected him with a snarl.

"She's my baby sister!"

"It isn't even _related_ to you, is it?"

"That doesn't mean anything – and it's a _she_!"

"You were given a weapon to make unstoppable, you buffoon, not simply a baby to look after. What made they think that giving a weapon like that to you would be a good idea is beyond me…"

"Dude, you're not being nice!" Ron complained.

"Being nice to you is not on my top priorities," the monkey man said dryly "weren't you here for a _reason_?"

"Oh, right," Ron grinned a little sheepishly "it's about the monkey stuff."

"Mystical Monkey Power. It's not that complicated to utter, is it?" Monkey Fist retorted, his frown deepening even more – why was that boy, that insufferable waste of space capable of controlling a such power while he couldn't even bother calling it by its name? And why couldn't _he_ do the same despite his all his knowledge and dedication? He felt a twinge of rage at the thought, but he managed to ignore it: he had to be patient, more now than ever.

"Dude, I know – but c'mon, a power called 'Mystical Monkey Power' sounds dumb!"

Monkey Fist blinked, unable to even feel any kind of outrage as he stared at the boy. "You really are _trying_ to make me attempt to murder you so I'll be turned back into stone, aren't you?" he asked quietly.

Ron blinked. "Uh? No, I'm not, really!" he held up his hands "but hey, good thing you're keeping in mind what would happen if you tried to…you know…" he paused and swallowed as Monkey Fist's eyes narrowed "…well, whatever. I still need you to show me how to use monkey st-- Mystical Monkey Power."

Monkey Fist scowled at the thought. The mere idea of having to teach anything to that insufferable boy was insulting to say the least, and the fact he seemed to have more control over such powers than he did himself made it even worse – still, he had decided to play along to learn all he could about Stoppable's capability of summoning his powers, and so he would. "But of course," he said through clenched teeth "which brings us back to the very first question I asked to you before you began blabbering some nonsense."

"Hey, wait, you're the one who interrupted me to…alright, fine, whatever," Ron said quickly as the monkey man glared death at him "anyway, I was training with Wade to learn using my battlesuit when he left to get something to drink. Or eat, I don't remember…"

"That's hardly relevant information. Go ahead."

"Alright. Anyway, before he left he deactivated my battlesuit because he, uh…didn't want me to use without him watching, I guess."

"I can see why," Monkey Fist said dryly.

"Dude, that's not--"

"Go _ahead_, Stoppable."

"Okay. So, he forgot to shut off all the robots I was training with, and since I didn't know he had deactivated the battlesuit I kept training, and…uh…" he paused and grinned sheepishly "it didn't go too well."

Monkey Fist raised an eyebrow. "I would have never guessed," he said sarcastically "were you injuried?"

"No."

"Too bad. As you were saying?"

"Well, when the robot attacked I wasn't able to fight back, so Rufus distracted it," Ron went on, and Rufus waved triumphantly from his pocket, causing Monkey Fist to wrinkle his nose.

"Yes, I do remember how this rodent had to get you out of trouble in more than one occasion," he said – he remembered all too well how that rodent had managed to use Mystical Monkey Power to wield the Lotus Blade, fight off his monkey ninjas and save both Stoppable and that Yamanouchi student back on Mount Yamanouchi. Hadn't it been for that blasted hairless creature, Stoppable's bones would have been consumed by lava years before.

"He's not a rodent, he's a naked mole rat!" Ron protested. Monkey Fist just raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Right."

"At least can at least realize your own stupidity from time to time," Monkey Fist sighed "now go ahead."

"Er…where was I?"

"Your rodent had to save your pathetic life."

"…but really, can't you even _try_ to use the actual name…?"

Monkey Fist gave a frustrated growl. "Fine – your Heterocephalus glaberhad to save your life," he said almost viciously, causing Ron to blink.

"Is that…?"

"The scientific name, _yes_. Now would you _mind_ telling me exactly what happened?" the monkey man snapped, his patience wearing thin.

"I'm trying to, but you keep interrupting…!"

"Stoppable!"

"Fine, _fine_. So, the robot began trying to shoot Rufus, and… well… I got angry," Ron said, fully knowing he wouldn't be able to find the words to explain that mixture of furious rage and frustration at his own helplessness he had felt – it was exactly the same thing he had felt when he had seen Warhok holding Kim's unconscious form and saying something about what a good trophy she would make, and it had been…simply indescribable "and after that I guess I didn't think much…"

"Go figure."

"Dude, _now_ you're interrupting!" Ron almost whined.

"My apologies," the monkey man said dryly "so you did something as reckless as attacking the robot?"

"Yes."

"And you unleashed the Mystical Monkey Power in you without even knowing what you were doing," Monkey Fist said thoughtfully, carefully observing him "is that right?"

"I guess so…if Mystical Monkey Power makes someone glow blue and get extra strength, I mean. Does it?"

"According to what I've read, it does," Monkey Fist admitted unwillingly "though how could someone like you be granted--"

Ron blinked. "Read?" he repeated "wait, does that mean it never _happened_ to you?"

Monkey Fist gritted his teeth as Stoppable's question hit a raw nerve. Did he have to get somewhat more intelligent _now_? "Not quite," he said vaguely before forcing himself to calm down and stay focused on the matter at hand "is this the first time it happens to you?"

"Yes, it is. Well, kind of. The first time it's so strong anyway – last time it wasn't this badical…"

The monkey man froze, his blood suddenly running cold. "Last time?" he repeated – had it happened _already_? When? How? _Why_?

"When we were on Mount Yamanouchi. The first time," he said with a shrug "it was when you and your monkeys… by the way, I saw them at Amy's place."

Monkey Fist seemed to momentarily forget their discussion. "You did? Did they…look the same?" he asked almost fearfully. Even though Amy had assured him she hadn't actually tried to give them bunny ears, he was still rather worried: that woman was the last person he would want to take care of his monkey ninjas.

"They didn't look like they got mixed up with anything, if that's what you mean," Ron reassured him.

A sigh of relief escaped the monkey man. "Thank goodness," he muttered.

"They looked a little fatter, though."

"She must have fed them some of her biscuits," Monkey Fist said with a disapproving frown "seems like the concept of balanced diet is far beyond her – I will have to take them through the whole training routing again once I take them back, no doubt."

"Well, they weren't _much_ fatter," Ron reassured him "I bet they'll be back in shape in no time."

"I should hope so," Monkey Fist said, then he blinked as he seemed to remember what their conversation was supposed to be about "in any case… you actually _used_ Mystical Monkey Power back then?"

"Yeah, to defeat Fukushima. You didn't see that because you were, uh…busy with the ninjas, but at some point I felt so strong," he waved his hands as if it could somehow help him to emphasize his point "and there was a blue glow too, really, but I barely noticed it that time. I didn't do much anyway, I stomped on the ground and made some icicles fall. Not much compared to what happened this time."

Monkey Fist stayed silent for a few moments, as if he was having some trouble to process what he had exactly told him. "You could use it…three years ago already," he finally muttered. He was barely able to believe it – how could he control Mystical Monkey Power while he couldn't? _Why_ could he? What could Stoppable possibly have that he didn't?

_You have to find out – this is the reason why you're enduring his company right now, isn't it? Show him how to correctly use it, and you could learn from him how to unleash it. And if you don't succeed, you still have_--

Monkey Fist shook his head, refusing to let himself think about that possibility…no matter how very tempting the thought of immortality was. Mystical Monkey Power was what he had fought to possess, and he wouldn't give up on it unless…unless…no, he just wouldn't. Ever.

"Something like that," Ron was blabbering on "but I told you, it wasn't as strong as it was this time, and I didn't really stop to think about it…"

"Then why are you now?" Monkey Fist asked, staring at him intently. That boy certainly had no special abilities – could it be that his secret was his motivation, the reason that led him to _want_, at least unconsciously, to control his powers? "You never _wanted_ it. Why do you want to learn how to use it now?"

Ron shrugged. "Well, I thought…uh…it could be useful now that aliens are coming to destroy us, couldn't it?" he suggested a little weakly.

"Don't lie to me, Stoppable," Monkey Fist's eyes narrowed "you had countless occasions to try using them to save this miserable world, and I'm sure you never even thought about using them. And for once in your life you actually looked _determinated_ when you went to ask me to teach you," he wrinkled his nose at the thought "what is the true reason why you suddenly decided to use a power you apparently despise so much?"

There was a brief silence as Ron hesitated, biting his lower lip a little and looking unusually serious.

"My patience has a _limit_, Stoppable."

Ron sighed. "Kim."

"Kim?" Monkey Fist raised an eyebrow "Kim Possible? What does she have to do with Mystical Monkey Power?" he asked, honestly puzzled.

"I want to be able to protect her," Ron said "I couldn't help her last time. I let her down."

"Are you referring to when she was turned into a stone statue?" the monkey man asked, a slight grin playing on his lips at the memory.

"Yeah, great. Thanks for reminding me that too," the boy nearly groaned.

"It was my pleasure," Monkey Fist said with a faint smirk "I take it something else happened?"

Ron nodded. "Warhok," he said "the first time he got here--"

"War…what?"

"Warhok. A Lowardian," Ron explained, running a hand through his hair with a scowl "Kim had passed out, and he had her. He and Warmonga – _another_ Lowardian – said something about…turning her into a trophy or something. They would have killed her, and I could just look at them without being able to do anything," he said, and he suddenly looked so anguished and Monkey Fist couldn't help but feel a little startled "if Drakken hadn't stopped them…I don't know what could have happened."

"I suppose she would have been turned into a war trophy," the monkey man said calmly.

"Alright, fine, I _know_ what could have happened – I just don't like too much to think about it, okay?"

"It seems like you thought about it quite a lot to me," was the reply "so this is why you want to learn how to use your powers? Just to protect her?" Monkey Fist asked, and judging by the expression on his face it was clear he considered it a waste.

Ron, however, couldn't care less about what he thought. "Yes, to protect her," he said almost challengingly "and my parents, and my friends, and my sister."

"That weapon hardly needs any protection," the monkey man pointed out dryly.

"She's not a weapon!" Ron snapped "she's my baby sister, and I look after her!"

Monkey Fist snorted. "That seems more like Senior's duty than yours now," he pointed out, then he sighed "in any case, if you really want to learn using your powers, I have to warn you it's not going to be easy, especially in so little time. I am not a very patient man, and my tolerance for idiocy is pretty much non-existent. I expect you to follow my instructions without questioning me in any way – is that perfectly clear?"

"Yes."

"Very well. We'll start your training tonight – I want you to be here exactly at midnight."

Ron blinked. "Midnight?" he asked "but I'll be dead tired!"

"That is none of my concern. Besides, considering your…secretive behaviour about this, I assume you want to keep this a secret for time being. Don't you?"

The boy grinned a little sheepishly. "Oh…right."

"May I ask why?"

"Er…because. I'm not sure I want people to know about this mystical stuff until I'm sure I can use it, and Kim wouldn't want me to be here," he shrugged "I don't want her to get worried."

Monkey Fist rolled his eyes – just how _foolish_ could people be when they let feelings blind them? "Of course, I should have guessed it was something like that," he muttered before closing his eyes and settling in a lotus position "now it's time for my meditation, Stoppable. Unless you have something meaningful to share, _leave_. We'll start the training tonight."

Ron just nodded in silence – not the smartest thing to do since the monkey man's eyes were closed – and got up to leave, feeling a sudden need of fresh air, away from the smell of burning incense. Monkey Fist, however, was not meditating. As soon as the door closed he opened his eyes and stared ahead, a thoughtful frown on his face. He could still think of no reason why that blasted boy could control Mystical Monkey Power while he didn't – if he had really thought it could have something to do with the _motivation_ why he wanted to unleash the power, he had been disappointed: the fact he wanted to use them to protect other people rather than for his own glory only showed how short-sighted and foolish he was. Then _why_…?

_What if that really is his secret? What if he can really unleash Mystical Monkey Power because of his, ah…noble intentions? _

"No," Monkey Fist said aloud "it can't be. There must be something else," he said to the empty room, but much to his annoyance that nagging idea simply wouldn't leave him alone.

* * *

"Enough for today, lass," Killigan said, putting down his golf club – he wouldn't admit that in a million years, but his arms were starting to ache a little. Fine, maybe he had put a little too much strength behind head hit: trying to picture it was monkey boy's head he was hitting probably worked better than he had expected. Maybe next time he would actually hit him, he thought with a slight grimace, not really knowing what it was that made him so mad at that monkey obsessed psycho. He just _annoyed_ him, that was it.

DNAmy seemed about to protest – she had been having fun creating some more of those beasties – but she changed her mind as she noticed the frown on his face. Poor sweetie, she thought, he really had to be tired. Why hadn't she noticed? "Yes, we did enough," she admitted, glancing at the bunch of huge beasties sitting quietly on the floor. She had lost count of how many of them she had created, but it had to be a lot since those GJ guys had taken outside a lot of them already, and the lab was full once again "we should tell the GJ agents to bring them outside too. They'll have to be fed – we can't lave them here without dinner!"

"Then go tell them," Motor Ed spoke up, his head finally popping up from behind the hoverbike he was working onto "I'll keep an eye on them until they get here, seriously. I'm staying here all night anyway," he said before turning his attention on the hoverbike once again, whistling as if he was having a pleasant walk in the park. He had bet with Dementor it would be ready by dawn, and he never lost a bet. Seriously.

"Oh, poor thing," Amy said with a slight frown "aren't you going to sleep at all?"

Motor Ed shrugged. "Not if I want to get this done. But I'll catch up in the morning, seriously," he grinned a little "unless Drew wakes me up begging for advice."

Killigan rolled his eyes. "Aye, right. Not going to happen."

"But you could at least drink something hot while you work," Amy insisted, then her face brightened "oh, I know! I'll make you some coffee and bring you some more cookies – how about that?"

"Hey, that would be great, seriously," Motor Ed exclaimed, then he turned to Killigan and winked "why don't you go keep the chick some company? I mean, seriously, you're not going to let her walk around the lair alone, are you?" he winked.

Killigan gritted his teeth, suddenly wishing nothing more than reaching out to strangle that idiot. "Aye, sure," he said a little grumpily "I was going to get something to eat anyway."

"Wonderful!" Amy said happily, patting his back with unnecessary strength and making him wince "I'm a bit hungry too, so we can eat together while I make some coffee for him! Wouldn't that be nice, Duffy?"

"Aye, whatev-- don't call me like that!" Killigan protested. Did she _have_ to call him like that in front of other people? Did she have to call him like that _at all_?

"Aw, but you told me it was fine with you if I called you Duffy," Amy pouted a little.

"Yeah, you _told_ her Duffy was fine, seriously," Motor Ed's grin was getting so wide that his cheeks just _had_ to hurt. Killigan had to fight back the urge of hitting him, or at least throwing a mind control chip against him and making him so something horribly embarrassing he would be ashamed of for the rest of his life.

"Mind yer own business," he growled "don't ye have to finish that by morning anyway?"

"Don't be a meanie, Duffy, he was just taking a break," Amy chided him, and Motor Ed couldn't help but notice he just snorted and turned away instead of protesting for being called like that again "can't you be nicer?" she asked as they walked out of the lab "there was no need to snap, we were just chatting…!"

"I'm not a nice person, lass," Killigan said defensively "besides, I'm not the one ye should complain about!"

"Uh?" Amy blinked, looking honestly confused "what do you mean?"

"I'm talking about monkey boy," the golfer said with a scowl as they turned a corner "how comes ye never tell _him_ he should be…nicer? He doesn't treat ye the way one should treat a lass," he pointed out.

Amy bit her lower lip. "Well, he's always been a little grumpy, but this doesn't mean--"

"Ye gave him his monkey limbs, dug him up after he got defeated by a wee lassie, took care of his pet monkeys while he was a pretty statue and ye basically are the only one who gives a darn about him – and how does he thank ye? He just keeps ignoring ye or running away all the time," Killigan went on a little more viciously than he probably should have sounded "he didn't even thank ye – that's now how ye treat someone ye care for!"

"He's just busy," Amy defended him as they walked in the kitchen and she immediately reached for the coffee pot – it was like she needed to keep herself occupied as they spoke "and he's a bit unsettled by all the stuff that happened, the poor thing, but once he'll feel better…"

"Nothing will change."

Amy scowled. "Of course it will!"

"Aye, and ye'll just keep accepting his behaviour until that happens? How _long_ did things go on like this?"

"Well…" Amy hesitated as she put the coffee pot on the burner "almost four years," she admitted unwillingly "since when I gave him his monkey hands and feet. But he just needs--"

"And ye keep defending him after four years?" Killigan snorted, suddenly feeling furious "he needs a good kick in the butt, that's all he needs. He doesn't deserve ye."

"He…what?" she blinked, taken aback. She tried to remember when had it ever happened that anyone told her that someone didn't _deserve_ her, but her mind stayed blank – it had just never happened.

Killigan shifted a little under her puzzled gaze, suddenly feeling a tad uneasy. Fine, maybe he had pushed it a bit too far. "Aye, I mean…well…"

Whatever he was about to say next was thankfully forgotten as the door of the kitchen suddenly opened to let in a rather unhappy-looking Drakken. He stopped on the doorway for a few moments, glancing at them. "Oh. I thought there was no one around," he said, trying to not seem _too_ down in the dumps and failing miserably.

"We're getting some coffee and cookies for your cousin," Amy shrilled happily "do you want some?"

"Er…no, I just wanted to have some cocoa moo," he said "I could always come back later…"

"Aye, good idea," Killigan muttered.

"On, nonsense!" Amy exclaimed, literally pushing the blue skinned scientist on an empty chair "there is enough space on the stove, so I can make you some cocoa as well and…poor sweetie, you look so _sad_!" she said, frowning a little "is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm _fine_," Drakken said a little defensively, sulkily staring at the wall ahead.

"Och, is that because nothing yer cousin told ye works with yer sidekick?" Killigan snickered, causing Drakken to wince. So _that_ was the reason, he thought with an inward snicker as he mocked him a little more – what the heck, it was good seeing someone being even more frustrated than he was in that regard "but honestly, blue boy, what did ye expect could happen if ye followed his advice?"

"It's not about that," Drakken protested, but his protest was ignored as Amy turned to the golfer.

"Don't be a meanie, Duffy, you shouldn't mock him," she chided him "you would be sad in his place too – it's not nice being ignored by someone you're in love with!"

"But I'm not…!" Drakken tried to speak, his face turning almost purple, but he was once again ignored.

"Aye, whatever," Killigan said with a snort, folding his arms over his chest and grumpily glaring at the stove as he finally shut his mouth. Just how _clueless_ could that lass be anyway?

"So," Amy kept chattering at Drakken as she went to make some cocoa "I'm sure things are not that bad, cutie – you just see everything bleaker than it is," she almost scolded him, putting a still empty mug in front of him "why don't you tell me everything?"

Drakken made a face, this time not even trying to repeat he didn't have any issue regarding Shego. "No more advice, please – I got _plenty_ of that," he grumbled "it wouldn't work anyway."

"Oh, why not? You're so cute! Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

"Yeah, right," Drakken snorted "when I tried to do that even _you_ dumped me…!"

Killigan blinked. "Dumped?" he repeated with a frown. Now that he thought about it, he had heard some rumours like that, but he didn't think…had it really happened? "What does it mean, ye _dumped_ him?" he asked almost accusingly, glancing at Amy before turning to glare at Drakken again.

Amy bit her lower lip. "Oh, poor sweetie, I didn't think that misunderstanding would hurt you so much…!"

"It _didn't_, it's just…gah, forget it," Drakken grumbled, still keeping his gaze on his mug "it doesn't matter."

"A misunderstanding?" Killigan insisted, hoping he had heard well, but it was his turn to be ignored as the coffee pot whistled.

"Coffee is ready – I should bring it to Eddie while it's still hot. Maybe I'll meet my Monty Wonty on my way to the lab," Amy said cheerfully, filling a thermos and walking out of the kitchen "keep an eye on the cocoa while I'm away!"

"Yeah, sure," Drakken mumbled. There was a brief silence as she left, both him and Killigan sulkily staring ahead for a few minutes. "This sucks, uh?" Drakken finally muttered.

"Aye, this sucks," Killigan agreed with a grimace.

* * *

"Brother!" Hana exclaimed happily, squirming a little on her highchair – how come Senior had that in his lair was kind of a mystery – and trying to reach for the spoonful of peas Ron was trying to feed her

Ron smiled a little weakly. "That's right, I'm the big brother – and you're going to eat that, alright? Possibly without making the spoon fly across the room or something…"

Kim couldn't help but smile as she saw Ron feeding his sister – the amount of patience he could show with her was amazing, and she found herself enjoying what had become a familiar scene. Actually, she had been missing moments like that: it wasn't like she and Ron got much spare time to spend together lately, especially since she kept training with Shego while Ron was busy learning how to use his battlesuit with Wade. Still, he was getting really good with that, so maybe they could finally train together in a couple of days. She missed stuff like that – she missed a lot of things she did with Ron, really.

"Hey, Ron?" Ron didn't give any sign of hearing her as he kept spoon-feeding Hana, an unusually thoughtful expression on his face. "Ron?" Kim repeated, frowning a little – was it just her, or he seemed a little…odd lately? "Earth to Ron, there is a giant naco that's about to crash on the planet!"

"Uh?" Ron immediately snapped from his thoughts "what? Where?"

Kim chuckled. "So you _can_ hear me," she said with a smirk, poking his shoulder "is something wrong?"

"Er…no," he lied quickly "nothing's wrong. Why?"

"You seem worried lately," Kim pointed out "are you sure you're okay?"

"Sure. One hundred percent sure. Totally sure. I'm so sure that…uh…what?" he asked as Kim raised an eyebrow. She just kept staring at him until he shifted a little "…okay, fine, maybe I'm just a tad…worried?"

Kim sighed. "Ron, for the last time, we really _are_ going to the same college, so--"

"It's not about _that_," Ron blurted out, and he bit his tongue just a second later – great, couldn't just keep his mouth shut just for once? "I mean…well, this invasion is going to be something big, uh?" he asked a little weakly, turning his gaze back to Hana and giving her another spoonful.

"Well, yes," Kim admitted, but she forced herself to smile optimistically "but we'll mop the floor with them, just like last time," she said, having to idea of what a destiny Warhok had in mind for her before Drakken managed to stop them.

"Last time it was just two of them."

"Two of them and a lot of pods, but we defeated them anyway…and it was just us, Drakken and Shego. This time we have a lot more support than that, and the planet will be prepared. We'll show Lowardians they're messing with the wrong planet," she said, waving her hand "and then we'll take a break before starting college – I'm sure they'll cut us some slack after _this_."

Ron managed to give her a somewhat brighter smile. "Sounds great," he said, but he still couldn't sound as optimistic as he wished. Kim seemed to notice, for she reached across the table and put her hand on his.

"Hey, we'll get over this," she said softly "as always."

He glanced back at her, and he finally found himself giving her one of his usual, broad smiles. "Sure – we'll kick their butt again," he said, feeling more determinated than ever to learn how to use his monkey power stuff. If there was one chance, not matter how small, that it could help in the upcoming war, he had to try. He would never again just watch helplessly while Kim risked her life, he would never let her down again.

Kim smiled. "That's my Ron," she said, leaning forward to give him a kiss, but they both stopped as Hana happily blabbered something, waving her hands and stating at the spoon Ron was still holding in mid-air.

He gave his girlfriend a sheepish grin. "Sorry, boss calling," he said, and Kim couldn't hold back her first wholehearted laughter in days.

* * *

How could a lair be easier to get lost into than an ancient temple could ever be was beyond him, Monkey Fist thought with a scowl as he kept wandering through mazes of rooms and hallways that looked all the same to him. He probably shouldn't have even left his dojo, but his conversation with Stoppable and the useless pondering that had followed had given him a blazing headache, and he had felt a strong urge to make himself some good tea, hoping it would at least soothe his nerves.

"Where in the world is the kitchen?" he growled to himself as he stepped in front of an automatic door that didn't look like the one of the kitchen at all – and it fact, it was not: it was the one that led to the lab. Monkey Fist winced, quickly backing away before Amy could spot him.

"Hey there, monkey dude!" Motor Ed popped out from behind some…_something_ he was working onto and waved at him "don't worry, way's clear, seriously. She's making some coffee."

"In that case I better forget my tea for a while," Monkey Fist muttered, but gave a sigh of relief.

"You really don't like her, uh?" Motor Ed said, deciding to take a break and walking to him. Monkey Fist grimaced as he patted his shoulder and went on "but don't worry, now that Killigan has a thing for her it won't be a problem for long, seriously! She just has to change her target…"

The monkey man raised an eyebrow. "You think?" he said, trying to not shudder at the mental image – the mere idea Amy Hall could prefer someone like Duff Killigan to him was both laughable and somewhat insulting, but he there was a part of him that truly hoped she would turn her attention to someone else. _Anyone_ else.

"Sure! Don't you get it?" Ed grinned, elbowing his ribs "if they get together you're free as a bird, seriously. Both from her and the Scottish dude's rage."

"It's hardly my fault if she isn't interested in that caveman," Monkey Fist said dryly.

"Oh, he just doesn't know how to deal with chicks! He should take advice from an expert..."

"You, an expert? I'm not quite sure Shego would agree."

"Oh, she was just playing hard to get! She's crazy for me, seriously – but now that I know Drew is after her I'm totally stepping back, seriously. I mean, I'm sorry to hurt her, seriously, but she'll get over it in no time if Drew does as I said…!"

Monkey Fist rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he grumbled – if he let him speak on, he was certain his headache would get even worse "as you were saying?"

"Well, sometimes people just need a little _nudge_ in the right direction..." Motor Ed said, his grin widening.

Monkey Fist blankly stared at him. "So what?"

"Don't you get it dude? _Someone_ has to give them that little nudge – and if I get together you're free, right?"

There was a long silence. "Oh, no. No matter how desperate I can be to get rid of her, I won't sink low enough to serve as a matchmaker, Lipsky. If you want to take care of it, you're most welcome and I wish you the best luck. You have all my support, believe me – but don't expect me to be part of it, because I _won't_."

Motor Ed sighed, holding up his hands. "Alrigh, alright – no need to get this worked up, dude, seriously," he said "but seriously, how comes I have to do everything around he--"

"HONEY BUNNY!"

Monkey Fist whimpered and froze on the spot for a few instants as that dreadful voice reached his ears, and that brief moment was all Amy needed to leave the tray with the coffee and cookies on the nearest surface and leap on him with surprising speed. Motor Ed made a face as Monkey Fist shrieked and collapsed on the ground with all her weight on her back as she hugged him tightly enough to make his ribs crack, babbling some nonsense.

"You should take my advice, dude, seriously," he said, shaking his head before reaching to take a cookie.

* * *

"Er…Warhem?" Warhax seemed a little unsure as he walked inside the control room of the third deck and walked up to his commander "about what happened earlier…"

"It better not happen again," Warhem said gravely, his gaze fixed on the radar to make sure there were no asteroids on their path "not _ever_. Our mother was right when she said your mouth would get you in trouble someday," he turned to face his brother with a scowl "what were you _thinking_? You're not supposed to make questions, none of us is – we simply have to obey to orders and to serve Lowardia. That is out duty!"

Warhax scowled. "I thought my duty was to glorify my home planet by conquering new planets, not to shame its name by slaughtering a whole race whose planet holds no interest for us. And for what reason? Simply to avenge someone's wounded pride. This has nothing to do with the glory of Lowardia!"

"Enough!" Warhem shouted "I forbid you to say anything like that again! Can you imagine what could happen should General Warhok know what you said? As your battalion commander, I should report you!"

"I'm talking to you as my brother, not as my superior," Warhax said quietly "you can't be alright with this."

Warhem's features twisted in a bitter expression. "This is not relevant. I'm a warrior, and I do as I'm told."

"This is not what a warrior is supposed to do. Or are you going to tell your children that a warrior's duty is to exterminate the helpless race of distant, useless planet when you get back home?"

He fully expected his brother to order him to shut his mouth once again, but Warhem just sighed. "You know what I hope, Warhax?" he said almost tiredly "I hope that these…earthlings are stronger than Warhok claims they are. I hope they'll be able to put up a fight, to defend themselves," he turned away with a bitter scowl "at least I could try to delude myself into thinking of this as fair war rather than as a meaningless massacre."


End file.
